The Walking Dead: Termination Season 2
by HOBOKAT
Summary: "Atlanta is done. we're gonna try for Fort Benning." Now leaving Atlanta with a new group, John and Cameron have a new mission: Survive. A series of events unfold as everyone struggles to keep their humanity in a world where man, and machine fight to coexist. Trust is taken to extreme levels as the group becomes broken, and it is up to a young cyborg to save them all from doom.
1. Chapter 1: What Lies Ahead

**_The last one was a little all over the place, but some of you seemed to like the story so i'm gonna continue it._**

 ** _This story, like the last will be is set in an alternate version of The Walking Dead universe, with similar interactions and events as seen in the show. The only difference is that this story will have our beloved TSCC characters who are thrown into the Walker apocalypse._**

 ** _But this doesn't mean I'm not gonna be adding original plot devices in this story. Since this is a crossover, the decisions of characters will change dramatically. The essence of terminators also existing in this universe pose a far greater threat than the undead. We'll see what this world does to someone like John and Cameron as they try to survive._**

 ** _So if you don't like the story because it seems too familiar (Because it is the same story from season two) then don't read it. I honestly could care less if you didn't like it._**

 ** _For those who do like what this story is transforming into, then sit back, get comfortable, and read away!_**

 **The Walking Dead: Termination Season 2**

 **Chapter 1: What Lies Ahead**

 _I guess I'm losing hope that you can hear me. But there's always that chance isn't there? That slim chance. It's all about slim chances now. I tried to do everything right, keep people safe. I tried Morgan. I tried._

 _Our groups bigger now. One of our own found their family in all this mess just like how I did. I mean what are the odds that people get second chances nowadays? They are a strange bunch of people, but survivors nonetheless. We lost people along the way, but from what we lost. Who we had lost, we gained from that._

 _The CDC was a dead end. I saw it destroyed right in front of me. I guess whoever was inside lost faith. Maybe they never came close to a cure, I don't know. That doesn't matter anymore. What matters is that we're moving on, Atlanta's done. We're gonna try for Fort Benning._

 _We're facing a long hard journey, maybe even harder than I can imagine. But it can't be harder than our journey's been so far, can it?_

 _125 miles- that's what lies ahead. And I'm trying hard not to lose faith. I can't. If I do, the others… my family, my wife… my son. Even with our numbers strong again, there's still just a few of us. We've gotta stick together, fight for each other, be willing to lay down our lives for each other if it comes to that. It's the only chance we've got…_

 _Be careful out there, Morgan. I hope you and Duane are okay. Stay off the road. Keep moving. Keep your eyes open. I don't know, just... just be safe. Maybe we'll see you in Fort Benning someday._

 _Rick… signing off._

 ** _Georgia, June 18, 2011_**

 ** _1:00 pm_**

 _Watching Atlanta fade in the distance was something that I have been waiting for, for a long time. When this whole outbreak started, I was in the Georgia area where I heard that the military were setting up refugee centers. I went hoping to get ahold of John, Sarah and Cameron to warn them of what was happening. But I was too late._

 _The whole grid went offline. Communication, electricity, all of it._

 _What was worse was finding out that the refugee center was being overrun with Walkers and finding yourself trying to desperately escape the city while people were rioting, looting, getting eaten, and worse. The military dropping napalm in the street in hopes of ridding the infection. I barely escaped with my life until Glenn found me and we managed to get out of the city in Sarah Connor's SUV._

 _Me, John, Cameron, and the new guy: Owen were in that exact SUV. I kept the vehicle because I was afraid of Sarah Connor chewing my ass out for losing it. Guess I don't have to worry about that anymore._

"So _Alex_ right?" Owen spoke up from the back seat. Alex broke out of her deep thoughts and looked up at the rear view mirror where she saw the newcomer staring at her.

"Yeah?" Alex simply nodded. Owen kept on checking her out from time to time just like how Merle once did. _But overall he was still a nice guy even though he had a hero complex._

"So this group you've been with. They get along at all?" Owen asked. "Still pissed they stripped old Sally down to the bare metal." He was referring to the school bus he had driven from Alabama to Georgia. He was forced to give it up because the radiator hose in Dale's RV needed a replacement and the school bus was _"almost"_ a perfect fit.

"They're alright I guess." Alex shrugged. "They rely on each other to survive so I guess that's something."

"How long have you been with them?" John asked, joining in on the conversation.

"Since the start of this whole shit show." Alex explained simply. "The guy in the baseball cap; Glenn, found me in Atlanta when it was over-run months ago."

"Why were you in Atlanta?" John asked.

"Trying for the refugee center so I could get ahold of you guys." Alex answered. Alex started to remember the horrible things she saw. The horrible things that she could never unsee. All the death and destruction. You would think for someone who had lived through Judgement Day twice wouldn't think much about this. But it did. Innocent people were getting eaten, raped, or burning to death because of the napalm that was dropped in the streets. Alex knew that she had failed humanity once again.

"Guess it didn't go as planned did it?" John shrugged. He didn't need an explanation as to what happened in Atlanta. _Probably the same thing that happened in Los Angeles,_ he thought.

Cameron was sitting in the back seat with Owen, behind John, gazing out the window. She hadn't spoken much since the CDC was destroyed. She just sat there with a blank expression. John had never seen her so broken. So lost.

This worried John most of all. Out of everyone here, Cameron was the one that seemed to be losing faith. To be losing hope in humanity surviving.

 _The only time that I wish she would be that cold calculating machine that I believed her to be after I turned sixteen._ John instantly pushed that thought out of his mind in disgust. _Cameron is becoming more human everyday and I need to think more of her._

Suddenly, the convoy stopped dead in its tracks. Alex's SUV was behind the RV, with Carols Jeep Grand Cherokee behind them and a small red sedan behind their's that Savannah and Ellison had taken.

"What's going on?" Owen asked, seeing that the convoy had stopped suddenly.

They waited several seconds until Daryl rode by the SUV in his motorcycle. Alex then quickly rolled down her window as he approached. "Why'd we stop?" She asked confused.

"There's some cars blocking the road." Daryl informed and rode off to turn around. Soon the convoy began to move again, and slowly maneuver around the abandoned and crashed out vehicles. The scene was very suspenseful. The vehicles were scattered in various directions, with some even being overturned. Alex could have sworn she saw bodies in some of them as she passed. The smell confirmed it when the smell of one of the closer vehicles had hit her artificial nostrils. She responded to this by rolling up the window.

The convoy then stopped again, but not for the same reason as the first. John, Alex and Owen just watched as the RV had made an audible sputtering sound, with the front even erupting in smoke. They watched as the people inside the RV flooded out to look at the damage and decided to do the same. Alex was the first to leave the SUV with John and Owen piling out and following close behind.

Cameron on the other hand, wasn't paying attention to anything and was curious as to why they were leaving. She followed a second later just so she could ask John what was happening. As she exited the vehicle, Cameron rounded and stalked towards John who was already next to the RV, standing amongst the rest of the new group.

"Guess that bus hose didn't really do it." Dale sarcastically remarked, and scratched the back of his neck in frustration.

"Problem Dale?" Shane asked simply, as he scanned their surroundings like he normally did. He had to always be on his toes with the dead lurking almost every corner now.

"It's just a small matter of being stuck in the middle of nowhere, with no hope of-" Dale stopped mid sentence and looked at his surroundings, seeing several vehicles and even some cube vans. "Okay, that was dumb." He mentally kicked himself.

"If you can't find a radiator hose here-" Shane began.

"There's a whole bunch of stuff we can find." Daryl finished, and started digging through some of the nearby vehicles.

"We can siphon more fuel from these cars." T-dog suggested.

"Maybe find some water-"

"-Or food?"

"This is a graveyard." Lori interrupted everyone. She had an uneasiness expression written on her face as everybody looked at her. "I don't know how I feel about this."

"Oh come on Lori," Alex spoke up irritably. "What do you expect us to do? Just leave it so someone else can take it?" Alex pointed out. "We are survivors now, we need to put our needs on top priority." She didn't seem to get along with Lori well since the whole camp attack.

Lori just glared daggers at Alex, but decided against say anything.

"C'mon everybody, just look around, gather what you can." Shane ordered everyone in a calm and friendly manner. Everyone agreed and began to cautiously walk between the cars, looking for any useful supplies.

•••

John was digging through the back of a blue muscle car, looking for anything useful, when Owen strolled up to him. "Hey John can I speak to you for a moment?" He asked casually.

"Sure?" John replied unsure, and started walking with Owen. John started to take a liking towards the man. He saved their asses when they needed it, and all around he was a nice guy.

"What do you think about this whole group? What's your opinion?" Owen asked John curiously.

"We've only been with them for a day, but they seem like alright folks" John answered simply. "What do you think?" He repeated his question.

"I don't know. They seem a bit uncoordinated. They don't really have a leadership going on." Owen questioned suspiciously.

"That all?" John asked, pushing for a better reason as to why he was suspicious about this group.

"Well no, they are a strange bunch and all, but I don't really trust them all that well." Owen clarified. John nodded in acceptance and the two continued to converse with each other while they scavenged supplies.

Cameron stood by the RV, watching John and Owen talk to one another, and turned up her audio sensors so she could hear their conversation. It was just questions about the group so it wasn't of much importance.

"Damn!" A voice exclaimed from the inside of the RV. Cameron turned around and walked inside, only to see a young blonde sitting at a table, trying to clean a Glock 19 handgun.

"Hello." Cameron greeted in a monotone voice. She tilted her head to the side as she watched the young blonde try to clean the gun. "What are you doing?" She then asked. Cameron already knew what she was exactly doing, but was just trying to make conversation.

"Trying to put this thing back together." Amy sarcastically replied. She then looked up from the gun in defeat and saw Cameron standing over her with a stiff posture. "Oh, so you're that new girl. Cameron right?"

Cameron nodded in confirmation and still stood there.

"You gonna sit down or stand there like a freak?" Amy asked with a smirk.

Cameron took this as an invitation and sat down just opposite of her, with her posture being straight as an arrow. "Do you need help?" Cameron asked Amy, referring to the handgun she was trying to put back together.

Amy moved the pieces towards Cameron. "Go crazy." She motioned with her hands and slumped into the seat more. Cameron tilted her head slightly, being confused at the term _"Go crazy"_ but dismissed it.

Amy sat up straight when she saw how fast Cameron was putting the handgun back together without even messing up once and marveled at the speed.

•••

Meanwhile, outside of the RV, Dale and Rick were keeping an eye on the area, with Dale on top of the RV with a pair of binoculars, and Rick on the ground with a hunting rifle.

Rick looked up a Dale who had looked into his binoculars and saw something particular. Rick noticed the expression and looked in the same direction as Dale, with the scope of the rifle.

There was a lone Walker wondering about. In Rick's mind, he thought he could go ahead and take it down from here and checked to see if there was a round in the chamber. Rick then took aim at the Walker's head when something else came into view. Something very unpleasant.

There were more of them. A whole lot more of them.

Rick's eyes widened in fear, as the hairs on his neck began to stand on their ends. "Oh Christ!" He whispered to himself and ducked behind a vehicle. Rick looked up at Dale who went prone on the RV and motioned with his head to go warn the others. Rick did so and started to quickly and quietly dash around the cars, where he came up to Lori, Carol, Carl, and Sophia. "Lori, under the cars!" He commanded with a whisper. He turned slightly and repeated the same with Sophia and Carl.

Rick continued to advance around cars some more where he came up to Ellison, Savannah and Alex. "Under the cars, now!" He ordered sternly.

Savannah ran and hid underneath the same car that Sophia was under, with Ellison about to chase after her until Rick forces him to the ground and drags him under a truck.

Luckily, John and Owen took notice and hid just as the horde neared them. There were at least a hundred Walkers that surrounded the whole area. They must have been following the sounds of the radiator hose sputtering and the sounds of Shane and Glenn screaming in joy of them finding a truck full of water jugs.

•••

Amy and Cameron didn't notice the Walker horde outside. They only continued to talk about _"girl things"_ which Cameron somewhat had a grasp on. She did in fact spend the better part of four years acting like a teenage girl who liked to dress up and put on different kinds of makeup.

"So what's your favorite color?" Amy asked Cameron. It was a cheesy thing to ask, but she wanted a friend and she clearly was still pissed at Alex.

"Purple." Cameron simply answered, and turned her head to look out the window. "Uh oh."

"Uh oh?" Amy repeated in confusion and turned her head to see what Cameron was staring at. "Oh crap!" She exclaimed and jumped out of the seat and hid in the aisle of the RV.

Cameron just sat there. She didn't know exactly what to do, she was concerned about John, but she was also concerned about the fact that there was yet another horde of Roamers outside.

The RV slightly shook, as a hand grabbed the support railing. But this hand was discolored and mutilated.

Amy started backing up quickly and backed into the restroom, closing the door behind in front of her. She was so concerned and scared for her own safety, she completely forgot about Cameron. Soon the hand revealed itself to be a Walker, as it entered inside the RV.

Cameron didn't move a muscle, nor did she breathe or blink. The Walker got really close and stared at her for a brief second before turning away and making its way down the aisle.

The Walker stood there for a moment before turning to leave. Suddenly, it heard a cough. The Walker eyed the bathroom door and heard someone shift inside.

The Walker lashed out at Amy who was in the bathroom, with Amy screaming in panic.

She thought she was dead.

The Walker was too much for Amy, and the dead walking corpse was able to force its way through and reached out, trying to grab Amy by the hair, prepared to pull her in and take a bite out of her.

However, the Walker was interrupted when two small hands were placed on each side of its head. The hands applied immense pressure to the Walker's skull, that the head was crushed as easily as a watermelon, with blood splattering everywhere.

Amy opened her eyes, finding relief that she wasn't dead. But what she saw brought a new kind of fear into her. There lied the dead Walker with a crushed head, and above that was Cameron. Her entire arms and torso were covered in large amounts of the dark horrid smelling blood.

Amy was too shocked to say anything. What could she say? She just witnessed a girl that was much smaller than she was, smash a Walkers head like someone smashing a grape with your fingers.

•••

The Walker horde was clear. They had moved on from the highway, and down the road up into the city. They were safe.

Or so that's what they thought

Savannah and Sophia were still under the car, where Savannah thought it was safe enough to leave and started crawling out from under.

Savannah screamed in terror when she saw out of the corner of her eye, a Walker advancing towards her. Savannah quickly got out from under the car, jumped over the guard railing and ran down the hill into the forest, with two Walkers now pursuing.

"Savannah!" Ellison called out to her in a whisper, trying not to gain attention of the horde that passed by moments ago.

Rick held him back from continuing. "Stay quiet!" Rick snarled. "You'll bring the others back!"

"Go to hell!" Ellison snarled and began to run after Savannah. Rick tackled Ellison to the ground, where Shane and Glenn came running.

"You two hold him down." Rick ordered Shane and Glenn. They both subdued Ellison, allowing Rick to stand up. "I'm gonna go find Savannah and bring her back." He then told Ellison before running off into the forest.

Everybody converged at the same location where Ellison was tackled. Even for a little girl hardly knew, they were still concerned for her safety.

John knelt down next to Ellison, who was still pinned by Shane and Glenn. "Ellison are you calm?" John asked.

"Yeah… I'm calm." Ellison sneered. He was still concerned about Savannah, but he managed to calm down a bit and avoid the urge to punch Rick in the face.

"You two let him go." John ordered Shane and Glenn. They both hesitantly did so, and got off of the former agent. Shane just eyed John. He didn't like being ordered around, especially by a kid.

Happy with the two men's compliance, John stood up, and walked away, back to the RV, where he saw a bloody Cameron exit, with her arms lifted in front of her.

"Cameron what happened?" John asked concerned, as he rushed up to her.

"I killed a Roamer." She replied simply.

"How?" John then asked.

Cameron gave John a visual example of how she crushed the Roamers head with her two hands, purposefully leaving out that Amy saw it all happen. John placed his hand on her back, and guided her to the front of the RV where Shane had found a water delivery truck, and grabbed one of the water jugs. He opened the lid of one and started pouring it on Cameron, trying to wash the blood away.

Luckily the rest of the group didn't seem to take notice, and were still conversing amongst themselves. Soon, all the blood was washed away from Cameron's body, leaving her soaked. Her pink blouse was now more of a darker red color since the blood had stained it.

•••

After a while, Rick came back, looking all bloody and damp. Ellison noticed that Savannah wasn't with him. Immediately, fear struck the man. She was still lost.

"Where is she?" Ellison asked concerned.

"S-she didn't come back?" Rick asked with his eyes widening. He told her that if he didn't return, to head back to the highway and keep the sun on her left shoulder. He now realized she was still out there somewhere.

"You son of bitch! How could you just leave her there!?" Ellison snarled, and took a step towards the officer.

"Calm down Ellison, arguing won't help." Alex interjected. Ellison wasn't known for getting violent but if it came to Savannah, he would probably wreak havoc.

"I can track." Daryl spoke up. "Give me the last place you saw her and I can try to pinpoint her position."

"I can too." Cameron also spoke. Everybody turned their heads to look at the petite girl, only to see she was soaking wet.

"What happened to you?" Dale asked, scratching his head in confusion.

"No time for that." Rick interrupted. "Daryl, Ellison, Shane and you." He pointed at Cameron. "Come with me."

"I'm not leaving John alone." Cameron argued. John just rolled his eyes in annoyance. Since this whole thing, neither of them had inseparable, and Cameron wasn't gonna change that now.

"I'll keep an eye on him." Alex announced, and placed a hand on his shoulder in a friendly way.

Cameron just glared at Alex. She didn't like being separated from John. She couldn't protect him that way.

"I'll be fine Cam. Go, I'll be here when you get back." John encouraged. Cameron hesitantly nodded and started to follow the small search party, down into the forest.

"Oh my, what happened to you?" Dale asked T-dog who approached them with his arm gushing blood.

"Just enjoying the Georgia countryside." T-dog sarcastically replied before fainting onto the ground.

"Oh shit!" Dale exclaimed, and knelt down next to the man. "Does anyone have medical expertise?" He frantically asked. Lori, and Glenn shook their heads, as well as Owen and John.

"I know." Alex spoke, with everyone looking at her. "Do we have a med kit anywhere?" Glenn nodded and rushed off, returning a moment later with the small case, and handed it to Alex.

She then knelt down next to T-dog and opened the med kit case.

Alex looked up at everyone else who was staring at her with expectation. "Alright who's watched House?"

•••

"Are you sure this was the last place?" Daryl asked Rick while looking inside the small cave underneath the hill.

"I told her to hide there and if I didn't return, to head in that direction, and keep the sun on her left shoulder." Rick explained.

"The kid was scared man, she had a close call with two Walkers. Unless she knows her left from her right, it's hard to say what you said stuck" Shane argued.

"She understood me just fine!" Rick persisted. Savannah had to be smarter than that right?

Shane and Ellison helped Rick and Daryl back up from the small pond, to solid ground. Cameron stood behind them, scanning the area to see if she could find anything out of the ordinary.

"The tracks lead that way." Daryl informed and started following them. Rick, Ellison, Shane and Cameron then followed a second later, until they stop once again a moment later.

"What is it?" Rick asked.

"I don't know. She was doing fine up until here. All she had to do was keep going straight. She ran off in that direction." Daryl explained and pointed to his right.

"Something spook her maybe?" Shane suggested.

"Maybe she saw Roamer." Cameron stated, not taking her eyes off of the forest behind them.

"There's no other prints. Can't be a _Roamer_." Daryl described. "Move away, your mucking up the trail LeBron James." Daryl barked at Ellison.

Ellison reluctantly moved out of the away, when Rick spoke again. "You two head back to the highway, tell them we are on the trail." He ordered Ellison and Shane.

Shane nodded in agreement. "I'll find something to occupy them, a few more chores maybe." Shane and Ellison then walk away, back to the highway.

"I'll head in this direction." Daryl informed and started walking off.

That only left Rick and Cameron. Cameron tilted her head to the side, while she stoically stared at the man which made him uncomfortable. "Which way should we go?" Rick asked.

Cameron returned her head back to its upright position. And started to stalk away in another direction.

 _This girl is very weird_ , Rick thought, and started following her.

•••

Alex and Carol were currently sitting in the back of the RV, where T-dog lied in a bed. Alex was currently applying stitches to his arm, with great precision."There we go." Alex smiled at her handy work. "You've lost a lot blood though so I suggest you take it easy." She told T-dog.

"How'd you know how to do that anyway?" Carol asked with astonishment.

"I was a school nurse." Alex simply replied. _And I was a medic trainee in the Resistance almost seventeen years from now,_ Alex added the last bit mentally. Carol nodded in acceptance and stood up, leaving the room.

Alex was about to leave when T-dog grabbed her wrist. "Thanks Alex." T-dog forced a smile. "Whatever everyone else says about you, don't let it get to you."

Alex returned the smile and turned to leave, allowing T-dog to rest. Once out, she saw John, Dale, Sophia, and Carol sitting in the booth. "How is he?" John asked Alex.

"He'll live, but he's lost too much blood. He won't be leaving that bed for awhile." Alex explained. She may be a lot of things, but actually using her medical skills was something entirely new.

"Mom? Will Savannah be alright?" Sophia asked her mother with worry.

"Of course she will baby. She just got lost, that's all." Carol reassured her daughter. Carol was just glad that it wasn't her daughter who was out there. She didn't know how she would handle herself if Sophia died.

Shane walked into the RV a moment later, carrying a jug of water from the delivery truck. "Here, T is gonna probably need it." Shane said and placed the jug next to the sink. Shane then took that exact moment to look down at the floor and saw blood staining the carpet. "What happened here? I don't remember that being there."

"Cameron and Amy killed a Walker in here." Dale answered.

"What'd they do? Stomp on its head repeatedly?" Shane chuckled. He was still confused as to what happened, but left it for now. "Anyway, Dale I need to borrow your tool bag." Shane then asked the old man.

"Under the sink." Dale pointed at the sink behind Shane.

Shane knelt down and took out the small satchel from under the kitchen sink, then walked out of the RV.

•••

Rick and Cameron silently walked throughout the forests of Georgia. The only sounds that could be heard were the trees rustling and birds chirping away.

Cameron walked stiffly, with her eyes glued at the ground, studying it. Rick was walking next to her, with his small pocket knife out, just in case they encountered a Walker. He couldn't use his Python Revolver, because there was that chance that the Walkers from the highway would hear it if he were to shoot.

"So where'd you learn to track anyway?" Rick asked Cameron with curiosity. She looked more or less like a city girl who was worried about boys and shoes. It surprised him to know she knew how to track.

"I didn't learn how to track. I've always known how to." Cameron corrected.

"Okay…" Rick said nervously. For some reason Cameron made him uncomfortable. "How can you tell. All I see is grass and dirt."

"Do you want a lesson in tracking? Or do you want to find Savannah?" Cameron mockingly remarked. She stopped dead in her tracks and started frantically looking around.

"What is it?" Rick asked, seeing her confused expression.

"I don't know. Her trail led here and just disappeared." Cameron stated. Suddenly, they heard rustling in the bushes next to them. Both Cameron and Rick absentmindedly pulled out their handguns and aimed at the foliage, prepared to shoot who or whatever came out, totally disregarding the recent herd that had passed by.

Daryl walked out of the brush, holding up a vulgar hand expression to both of them. Rick and Cameron lowered their weapons, placing them back in their original spots.

"Find anything?" Rick asked Daryl.

Daryl shook his head. "Nah, the trail I followed led here. You find anything?" He repeated the question.

"No. It's a dead end. The trail is faded." Cameron answered, in her monotone voice.

"Faded but not entirely gone." Daryl said, kneeling down right next to Cameron. "See this." He pointed. "Some leaves and dirt just covered it a bit. It's not gone."

"Oh. Thank you for explaining." Cameron responded. Daryl just gave her a weird look, but focused back on the trail a second later. The three reacted when they heard more rustling in the trees, and saw a lone Walker appear out of nowhere, targeting them as a potential meal.

Daryl rose his crossbow, and fired a bolt between the Walker's eyes, effectively taking it to the ground.

"Smart weapon choice. Silently shoots projectiles that are capable of killing a Roamer in a single blow, and can be reused multiple times." Cameron explained. She admired the weapon that Daryl held. "However, the reload speed is slower. Which can make it less effective when dealing with larger amounts."

Daryl and Rick just stared at her for another moment. She had a weird way of talking. "Thanks I guess?" Daryl settled for saying.

Rick knelt down right next to the downed Walker and put some working gloves that he had in his back pocket. He then opened the Walker's jaw and started pulling flesh out of the teeth. He then took one of the hands and methodically searched it.

"What're you looking for?" Daryl asked.

"Checking for skin under the fingernails," Rick simply replied and continued to search the Walker's hand. "It fed recently," Rick then, turned the corpses over and began to check its mouth. "There's flesh caught in its teeth."

"Yeah, what kind of flesh?" Daryl asked. Cameron knelt down on the opposite side of the corpse, and took the muck from Rick's fingers.

She scanned the flesh by rubbing her fingers together until she had a solution. "It's not human."

"Then what is Miss Brains?" Daryl sarcastically asked Cameron. She looked up at him, and rubbed the flesh off her fingers on the Walker's trousers.

"I don't know. Maybe we should be sure." Cameron simply suggested. Rick nodded and grabbed a small pocket knife from his pocket and flicked it open. Rick opened the Walker's shirt, about to make an incision when Daryl suddenly stood up.

"Here, I'll do it. How many kills you skin and gut in your life? Anyway, mines sharper." Daryl said and stood above the Walker. He got his giant hunting knife out and trusted the blade straight into the stomach of the Walker, with the putrid smelling flesh wavering in Rick's nostrils.

It was enough for even Cameron to turn her head in disgust. _Luckily I don't have smell sensors like a human,_ Cameron thought.

•••

The sun was setting. Rick, Cameron, and Daryl had been gone for hours and everyone was deeply worried, especially Ellison. The trio had walked back to the hallway with yet again no Savannah. Ellison's heart sank. They had found no trace of her, and it was getting dark.

"You didn't find her?" Ellison asked, already knowing the answer.

"Her trail went cold, we'll pick it up first light." Rick answered.

"She's only twelve! She can't spend the night out there with those things roaming around!" Ellison hissed in anger.

"If we go out now, we'd just be tripping over ourselves in the dark. More people would get lost." Daryl clarified. Ellison just glared at the man in disgust that he actually agrees that they should leave her until morning.

"This is bullshit! I made her mother a promise to look out for her and if you won't look for her then I will!" Ellison argued and started to jump over the railing.

"Ellison stop!" John spoke up. "Rick's right, if you or any of us go, we'd end up like Savannah. Lost. I think it's best if we wait till morning, then we can send out a massive search party to cover more ground." John suggested. _Maybe I am still to become a leader?_

"You can't be serious John? She's just a little girl." Ellison tried reasoning. John didn't respond, and instead just crossed his arms. "Cameron, you can track better than anyone here, you can help can you?" Ellison asked the young cyborg. Cameron also didn't respond, implying that if she did, more suspicion would arise to her true nature.

"You have to trust us Ellison. We have no choice but to wait." Rick said. "Daryl and Cameron know the woods better than anybody, I've asked them to oversee this effort."

Ellison just sadly nodded and walked off in the opposite direction, and disappeared in the scattered vehicles.


	2. Chapter 2: Life or Death

**The Walking Dead: Termination Season 2**

 **Chapter 2: Life or Death**

 _ **Los Angeles California, April 24, 2011: (Connor Residence)**_

 _ **2:43 am**_

 _Three days. Three days since Judgement Day was supposed to arrive. Three days since John Connor, Sarah Connor, and Cameron waited for the end. For the artificial intelligence known as Skynet to come online and attempt to wipe out humanity in a single blow. But it didn't. To Sarah and John, they thought that they had finally won the war before it started. To them, they thought that they were finally rid of the machines forever._

 _But they were wrong. This was only the beginning._

Cameron sat at the foot of John's bed, watching him like she always did. She was like his guardian angel, watching over him vigilantly like a loyal pet. He still didn't like anyone watching him while he slept, but that didn't stop her.

Cameron and John had their share of problems over the years, but they finally came to terms that she was his friend and protector. That she would be there for him no matter what.

After all the years they had known each other, John had drastically changed from the sixteen year old boy who was pushing her away and almost getting himself killed. Now he was a young man, who had definitely outgrew the bed he had slept in for years, both physically and mentally. He was still a long way from being the leader he was destined to become, but he was on the right track.

Cameron observed as he stirred in his sleep. He was dreaming. But she never knew what he dreamt. Sometimes it was peaceful, and other times, it was a nightmare that was bad enough for her to have to wake him up. _I hope he's dreaming about something peaceful._

John like any other time he was awake, felt a presence watching him. He opened his eyes to see Cameron staring at him like always. He wasn't surprised either so he didn't recoil when he saw her.

"What are you doing?" John groggily asked, rubbing his eyes.

"Watching you." Cameron obviously stated in her monotone voice.

"I see that." John sighed and sat up, resting the back of his head on the headboard behind his bed. "But why?" He then asked.

"I like to make sure you are safe." She answered in a soft voice.

John didn't answer, instead he just looked around the dark room awkwardly. Cameron always had that weird childish way of talking. She always never understood how to talk like a normal person.

Silence loomed inside the room, until Cameron spoke again. "Were you dreaming?" She asked.

"Yeah, I was," John nodded. "Why do you ask?" He then asked confused.

"I don't sleep so I can't dream," Cameron explained. "I'm curious as to what you dreamt."

"Well." John pondered. He always enjoyed Cameron's curiosity. It made her more adorable when she wouldn't understand something. "I dreamt that I was flying."

"Flying?" She tilted her head in confusion.

"Yeah, flying," John nodded. "I felt free and I felt that I could do anything I wanted."

"You felt freedom," She stated. "Do always feel like your being weighed down?" She asked.

"Yes, I do actually." John said with venom, but immediately corrected the tone of his voice. "You, mom, and Alex always held me down. You three never gave me the chance to become the leader that I was meant to become."

"I'm sorry." Cameron apologized sadly, with her eyes finding a sudden interest in the blanket underneath her. "At least you won't have to become that man." She then said.

"Why? Was I not a good guy in future?" John asked confused. He always thought that Cameron thought highly of his future self. Like she respected him.

Cameron shook her head in disagreement. "No, it's just…" She hesitated for a moment. "Future you was already consumed by loss and the war had hardened him greatly. I don't want you to become like him."

John was taken back by this revelation. Cameron had never spoke about his future self like that before. And she wanted him to be different from that man he was supposed to become.

John was about to open his mouth to speak when suddenly, the house shook violently, making the alarms on the vehicles outside, start going off. Cameron immediately stood up, following John a moment later.

"What the hell was that?" He asked confused.

"I don't know." Cameron said, also confused. _It's too mellow and short to be an earthquake._

John and Cameron jogged out of his room to see that his mother was already up, probably awakened from the sound.

"Are you two okay?" She asked fully alert. She was still in her pajama pants put had her leather coat on, as well as her combat boots. She had just loaded a fresh clip into her Beretta, ready for what had caused that ruckus. John and Cameron nodded and the three rush down stairs where Sarah switched on the lights.

Outside the alarms on the vehicles were still blaring, and the dogs nearby were barking like crazy.

"Machine?" Sarah asked, referring to the dogs barking. She knew from Kyle that dogs hated machines. That's what made them a valuable resource in the Resistance, for when the T-800 models came out. The ones that looked human.

"I don't know." Cameron repeated. She honestly didn't know what was happening. If Judgement Day was averted, then the remaining triple eights would have went into standby mode because they no longer had a mission. Maybe they were wrong, and Judgement Day was happening right now?

John and Sarah jumped when they had heard the sounds of a jet engine whoosh above their house, only to faint away as the seconds went by. Cameron walked to the window where she started watching for movement outside while John had walked over to the television and turned it on. The TV was automatically on a news station that had the emergency broadcasting system activated.

Cameron walked away from the window and to the TV where they all watched the news report:

 _Martial Law has been declared across the state, as the National Guard have been deployed to every city in the country._

The male news reporter had zero enthusiasm and the tone in his voice seemed tiring.

 _So far, the Center for Disease Control has been silent on the state of this outbreak for several weeks now, but gave us enough information to be better prepared:_

 _Stay indoors, and avoid any contact with anyone that is potentially infected. The infected victims show signs of a high fever, sweating, dehydration, and violence. The infected victims are highly dangerous and should be avoided at any cost._

 _Refugee centers will be set up at various locations across the city, as well as Military aid._

"What the hell?" John muttered in complete confusion as he stared at the television. He had never heard of a virus going around.

 _If anyone's still watching this, and you don't know what's going on, then you don't know the true nature of this whole thing._

Now the man had a serious expression on his face. He had set down the script of paper he had been reading off of and gave the live camera feed his full undivided attention.

 _Right now as I speak, there are dozens of people outside. Infected people outside. We are trapped in here and have no way out. If your still listening to this,_ _Then get out of the city! Get out before it's too late! If you stay here, then you're already as good as dead! Stay safe, and let God be with-_

The television went out suddenly, as well as all of the lights inside the house. The house violently shook again, as the flower vases, that were inside the house, fell and shattered on the floor.

John stood up from the sofa and bolted out into the kitchen. The back door opening and closing could be heard. Sarah and Cameron quickly followed him, worried for what he was doing. As they exited the house into the backyard, all they heard was the faint sounds of machine gun fire, and explosions in the distance. There was an unnatural light that illuminated the whole sky.

Then they saw it. Right over the wood picket fence they saw the city of Los Angeles. Or what was left of it. Sarah could have sworn she saw it in a dream once. The city being engulfed in flames was a horrific sight. John, Sarah and Cameron could see more explosives detonate in the streets as Military fighter jets flew above and towards the city, dropping more and more explosives in the streets below.

John fell to his knees in horror as he saw the sight that beheld him. He thought he was witnessing the end of the world. Sarah knelt down next to him and engulfed him into a hug, trying to reassure him that everything was alright. But it wasn't.

Cameron just stood next to the two stiffly as her gaze was locked on to the lights in front of her. If she was human she would have done the same as John done and fell to the ground in shock and sorrow. But she didn't, she just watched and didn't move, nor make any face expression.

The end was here.

 _ **Georgia, June 19, 2011**_

 _ **11:01 am**_

The next morning, everyone all geared up with sharp melee weapons from an arsenal that Carl had found, and set out to look for Savannah. Only Dale and T-dog stayed behind with the vehicles, just in case Savannah miraculously returned while they were gone.

The whole group hiked through the woods, in search of Savannah. Daryl took the lead, while everyone else followed. Everybody else was silent, only focusing on the mission at hand. Now that they knew Walkers were roaming the woods, they had to be ready for anything.

Rick, Shane, Daryl, John, Owen, and Cameron were the only ones carrying firearms. Shane and Rick didn't want to run the risk of one of the group firing off rounds because of one Walker, or a wild animal wandering through the brush. The Herd on the highway had everyone scared, and if they were to fire off a shot at the wrong time, it's possible that another herd would be nearby.

Shane and Rick were reluctant on even letting Cameron carry a firearm, because she looked like she was no older than seventeen, but showed them that she was capable when she took apart Shane's Glock 22. and put it back together within two minutes.

Daryl rose his hand, signaling that they stop. Everybody did so and knelt down while Daryl slowly approached a small tent. That was located right in front of them.

Daryl slowly and silently undid the zipper on the tent and entered inside, with his knife drawn. He was in there for a brief moment before he exited the tent, shaking his head back and forth. "Not her." Daryl informed.

"Who was it?" John asked.

"Some guy." Daryl answered and held out a small 38. Revolver. "Son of bitch killed himself."

Ellison just looked at the ground sadly. They had been searching the woods for hours, with no luck so far. Never had Ellison ever felt so helpless. He couldn't protect Savannah, and she was all alone somewhere out there.

 _Ring, ring, ring, ring._

"What's that sound?" John asked,frantically looking around. Everybody mirrored John's movements as they started to look for the sound.

"Sounds like church bells!" Ellison exclaimed and jumped onto his feet. Without warning, He ran off towards the sounds of the bells, forcing everyone else to give chase to the man.

The group had ran for what seemed like miles, trying to chase the strange ringing, while doing their best to avoid fallen logs and roots that protruded from the ground. The ringing got closer and closer with every step they took, but faded moments later. But the group kept running until eventually they had came to a clearing, where they saw several headstones and one white church at the far end.

But this church was different. It had no steeple for a bell to hang confused everyone as most had expected a church with a steeple for it to make that sound.

"That can't be it." Shane shook his head. "It has no steeple, no bells."

Ellison ignored Shane's statement and broke out into another sprint, forcing everyone else to follow, as they all ran across the clearing of gravestones. They all eventually came up to the red church doors.

Rick and Daryl got on opposite ends, both drawing their weapons, while Shane and Owen stood right in front, with their shotguns ready. Rick and Daryl quickly open the door, while Owen and Shane rush inside, aiming their rifles at every blind spot, until they were satisfied that it was clear. Except there was one difference. Several Walkers were sitting in the booths and had turned to face the group, hungry.

The four men handed to over their weapons to other members of the group in exchange for the sharp melee weapons, and slowly split up each Walker for the final kill.

•••

Alex was currently seated under a tree, across from the church, studying her bolo machete. It was the only weapon she had, after the camp incident where Rick had taken her gun away and told her that she couldn't be trusted.

 _Huh, deja voo._ Alex mused mentally and went back to looking at the sharp weapon. Alex looked up to see Amy, sitting across the way, sitting on the steps of the church, scowling at her. Alex and Amy engaged in the stare off between one another until Rick and the others had walked back outside.

Rick and Shane privately conversed with one another while Rick occasionally glanced in her direction. Alex decided to get up from her very comfortable spot, under the tree and make her way to the rest of the group.

"Y'all gonna follow the creek bed back, okay, Morales you're in charge." Shane spoke up, as he walked towards him. "Me and Rick, we're just gonna hang back, search this area another hour or so just to be thorough."

"You're splitting us up? You sure?" Daryl asked confused. One person was already missing, they didn't want more people disappearing.

"Yeah, we'll catch up to you." Shane nodded in confirmation.

"I wanna stay, too." Carl spoke up. Rick and Shane were silent for a long moment, contemplating on whether they should say no to Carl.

"Just be careful, okay?" Lori smirked at her son and gave him a tight hug. "When did you grow up?"

"Alex, you're coming too." Rick spoke up. Alex quickly turned around, with her eyes widening in confusion.

"Why?" She asked, crossing her arms in protest.

"I need to keep a better eye on you, and I can't do that when your not right in front of me." Rick spoke sternly.

"Is this still about the guns!?" Alex rose her voice in frustration. "When will you ever let that go?"

"You know damn well why I can't just let that go!" Rick snapped and got in Alex's face. Alex cowered back, signaling that Rick won this argument. "Your coming with. No exceptions." He then ordered and began to walk off in the opposite direction.

"You four be careful." Morales told Shane, and began to lead the group away. "I'll keep the rest of the group safe." Shane nodded at the man and with that, Shane led Alex and Carl away from the group and after Rick who was already on the other side.

"This is bullshit." Alex muttered to herself.

"What was that?" Shane asked from behind.

"Nothing." She responded and kept pace with Rick.

•••

The sun was getting lower and lower as the hours passed. The sun shone through the trees above, as they were surrounded by the green luscious forest. Daylight was very limited and that left very little time for the group to find Savannah. They had to move quick.

Alex, Rick, Carl, and Shane had been walking for hours, still searching for the young redheaded girl. They all worried for Savannah despite them only knowing her a day and a half.

The small group was silent the whole time. Not even Carl said a single word. A rustle in the brush startled them, causing Shane and Rick to draw their weapons. Alex also did so, but immediately reminded herself that she didn't have one. Well, besides a melee weapon.

Rick and Shane aimed at the source of the sound, only seeing a small glimpse through all the foliage. It wasn't enough for them to identify it due to their vision on the figure being very limited. It could be another person, a Walker, or even an animal. But they weren't entirely sure.

The figure began walking straight until it came out of the brush, revealing itself to be a deer. For a moment, Rick and Shane marveled at the sight of the animal. It was something you never really saw those days. Lately it was all about survival and death, that you almost became blinded by the fact that there was still so much beauty out there. That you had to just look. The evidence was right there, right in front of them. It was beautiful.

Shane had enough of the beauty however and rose his shotgun, as he started to think with his stomach instead of his mind. Rick placed his hand on the barrel of the weapon and began to lower it. Shane looked at Rick like he was crazy but understood when Rick had motioned his head at Carl who was slowly stalking towards the mammal.

Rick and Shane smiled at the sight some more as they watched Carl. Even Alex couldn't help but feel warmth in her heart at the sight. Even though she had a strong dislike for Rick right now, all that hate seemed to vanish almost instantly. All the hate that she projected onto him because of her stupid decision.

Carl continued to walk slowly towards the deer, with the deer staring back at him. The deer showed no signs of fear at the young boy who got closer and closer to him. Carl didn't seem like a threat.

Suddenly, a loud bang rang throughout the forest as Rick, Shane and Alex witnessing Carl and the deer fall backwards onto the ground below, unmoving.

"No." Rick gasped shocked at what just happened. "No, no, no, no, no, no, no!" He then wailed and ran to his fallen son. Shane and Alex rushed to his aid, with Alex kneeling onto the ground opposite of Rick. Shane had stood above them, having risen his shotgun around, trying to find the bastard that had fired off that gun.

"Oh god, oh God!" Rick muttered as he tried to wake up Carl. "Come on, wake up, please wake up." He pleaded with tears beginning to trail down his face. For the first time since the camp, Alex had seen Rick at his weakest. All that mattered to him was his family. "Please do something!" He begged Alex.

Alex nodded and began to study the wound that had formed near the stomach area. But like any other time, this was something that she didn't know. Gunshots weren't her specialty. "I'm sorry, I don't know what to do." Alex said pathetically. She was able to save T-dog from the brink of death but now she couldn't save a child's life.

More rustling could be heard from behind them. Shane immediately aimed his shotgun at the sound. "Who's there!?" He asked angrily. "Answer right now and I swear I'll make it quick!"

A young man slowly walked out of the foliage, carrying a hunting rifle above his head with one arm. "I'm sorry, I didn't know you were already hunting this one." He said very timidly. It was only then that the young man noticed the other three, one of which was on the ground with a puddle of blood beginning to seep into the dirt. "Oh my God, I didn't mean to-"

His apology was cut short when Shane had closed the distance and punched the man in the jaw, causing to stumble back in pain. Shane then rose his shotgun again in a threatening manner. "You son of bitch! You just killed a innocent boy, and for that you're gonna pay!"

"Shane!" Alex snapped at the man. "He's breathing."

"Yeah?" Shane mused. "For how long Alex? This guy just signed Carl's death wish!" Shane spat and pumped his shotgun, and taking aim between his eyes.

"Wait!" The young man pleaded. "I know a doctor! He can save the kid!"

"Where?" Rick asked, getting back on his feet and walked over to the young man. "Please tell me where."

"It's in that direction." The young man pointed to the left. "Just keep going straight and you'll come across a farm. Ask for Hershel."

Rick wasted no time in grabbing Carl, and carrying him in his arms in a bridal style. He broke into a sprint, and ran as fast as he was able to. Alex picked up his Python Revolver, that he had dropped, and began to give chase to the man. _Should've let me carry him._

Shane violently grabbed the young man by the arm, and forced him onto his feet. "Come on shit head!" He barked and began running after Rick and Alex.

•••

The group continued to walk through the forest, still alert and in search for Savannah. Cameron had stopped suddenly, as a faint gunshot had alerted her. "You okay Cam?" John asked concerned.

"There was a gunshot." She stated. "Why one?"

"Maybe they took down a Walker?" Daryl suggested. It seemed like the only way that Rick and Shane would fire off a round. But he honestly didn't care, for he wasn't the biggest fan of guns anyway. His crossbow was his most prized possession.

"Why one Walker? It doesn't seem very logical to use a bullet to take down just one." Cameron monotoned. Again, Daryl had that weird feeling towards the girl. She always had a weird way of talking.

"Maybe it was something else." John shrugged. With everyone discussing the possible source, the entire group decided to sit down and take a small break.

"Maybe Alex got ahold of a gun and shot them all." Amy muttered vehemently and took a swig of her water bottle.

"What did you just say?" John asked, not entirely hearing what she had just said.

"She said that maybe Alex shot them all." Cameron repeated instead. _She would never say it again anyway._

"I know Alex, and I sure as hell know that she would never do anything like that!" John scowled at Amy. The young blonde cowered back some and found an interest in the ground beneath her.

"She did keep guns hidden from us." Lori said to John. "She got people killed. If she's not the person you say she is, then why would she do that?" Lori then asked, furrowing her eyebrow upward.

"I don't know. But you shouldn't blame her for one mistake." John boldly said to the older woman. In some ways Lori reminded him of his mother. She was stubborn but had everyone's best interests in mind, even though she sometimes went about it the wrong way.

"How far till we get back to the highway?" Morales asked Daryl.

"A mile or two; give or take." Daryl informed. Morales nodded and turned back towards the group.

"Alright, let's keep moving." Morales ordered in a friendly manner. "We've got a little girl to find."

The group finished their short break, and began to walk again, with Daryl and Morales leading the way. John and Cameron purposefully stayed behind the rest, conversing with each other.

"Guess Alex has a bad reputation with this group." John whispered.

"Yes, she has a bad reputation." Cameron nodded in agreement. She had been studying the way Alex had interacted with the group. She had a strong dislike for some of them, while the same could be said the other way around.

"Do you think we'll actually find Savannah?" John then asked.

"Do you want an honest answer?" Cameron inquired. John nodded in response. "There is a 30.1 percent chance that we'll find her." Cameron whispered in John's ear so that the former agent wouldn't hear.

John looked at the ground sadly. "She doesn't deserve to have to be out here alone."

"With Roamers wandering around." Cameron added.

"You're not helping." John chuckled.

"Oh. Sorry." Cameron mimicked a pout before her face returned to its stoic expression. The group continued their trek back to the highway, staying in a single file line. Cameron still couldn't help but glance in the direction where the shot was heard. She had a bad feeling about something and it was eating at her.

•••

Rick ran. He ran as fast as his legs could carry him, with his son weighing him down greatly. But he didn't stop. He wouldn't stop. Everything had flooded his mind of what had just occurred several minutes ago. It all happened so fast that he didn't even have time to think of the what ifs. What if they had shot that deer, and used it for food instead? Why couldn't the deer have been startled and ran off?

"Move shit head!" Rick heard Shane snarl at the young man who had shot Carl. Shane was furious with the man, but somehow Rick was opposite. He was only concerned for his son.

They were now running through a field. Rick and Alex could see the farmhouse that the young man had described in the distance, but it was still far away.

Due to the constant running, the young man had lost his balance and stumbled to the ground, with Shane grabbing, and dragging him.

"How far!" Rick snapped worriedly at the man. He didn't know how much time Carl had left. "How far!" He repeated.

"Just… across the… field... " The man breathed heavily. "Ask for Hershal, he'll help your kid."

Rick turned and continued to run down the field. He kept running and didn't stop. For Carl's sake he didn't stop. Alex was able to keep up pretty easily, considering she didn't get exhausted as easily as a normal human. Under such circumstances, Rick probably would've noticed Alex's endurance, but he was too focused on his dying son that was cradled in his arms.

Soon, the farmhouse became more and more clearer with each step he took. They had come up to a wooden fence where Alex opened a gate, allowing Rick access.

As Rick and Alex rushed up to front of the house, the front door shot open, with several people poor out. Some were unarmed while some were brandishing blunt weapons.

The first to walk out of the farmhouse was an elderly looking man who seemed very healthy for his age. The second was a young woman with short brunette colored hair. The third was a another woman, but she seemed younger than the first. She had blonde hair that was tied into a ponytail. Then the last was a youngest girl who looked no older than ten years old. She had raven hair pigtails and wore an old dirty baseball cap.

"Are you Hershel?" Rick quickly asked the older man.

"Was he bit?" Hershel asked, ignoring Rick's question.

"Shot. By your man-"

"Jimmy?" The blonde teenager answered confused.

"Let's get him inside." Hershel then said and led Rick and Alex into the house. "Maggie, get my full kit. Beth, get some clean water. Clem, get some sheets from the closet." The three girls nod and rush away to grab the supplies that were needed.

Hershel, guided Rick and Alex into a room, where he threw the bed covers off to the side. Rick gently set down Carl on the bed, and backed away.

"What's your name?" Hershel asked, not taking his eyes away from Carl's wound.

"Rick, I'm Rick." He answered, trying to hold back the tears. A moment later, the three girls rush into the room, with Maggie setting up an IV for Carl, and the youngest girl; Clem, handed Hershel a stethoscope.

The man took the instrument and placed it on Carl's chest. "I got a heartbeat, but it's faint." Hershel reported. "Do you know his blood type?"

"A positive, same as mine." Rick answered.

"That's fortunate, don't wander too far." Hershel said. He grabbed a sheet that Clem had handed him and folded it, making a pad. Hershel then used the pad to apply pressure onto the wound. "Alright Rick, I'm gonna do everything I can, but you need to give us some room." Hershel then ordered. Rick hesitantly nodded and both him and Alex were about to leave until Hershel spoke up again. "Not you, I need your assistance." Alex nonchalantly agreed and began to help in any way that she could.

Rick stumbled out of the house, and outside where he saw Shane and Jimmy faltering to the porch. "Is he alive?" Jimmy asked concerned.

Rick didn't answer, instead he rubbed the sweat off his face, only to have it smeared with blood. Shane pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and helped Rick remove the blood. "Where is he?" He then asked. Again, Rick didn't answer. He lead Shane into the house and into the room where Carl was residing in.

•••

As the hours went by, The sun was already beginning to set. The sky was now an orange color as the sun was just barely over the trees.

Rick, Shane, and the other members of the farm were sitting in the other room, waiting. Alex and Hershel had been in the other room with Carl for several hours, and Rick was beginning to get worried.

Hershel and Alex walk out of the other room, with their clothes covered in blood. "How is he?" Rick asked frantically, as he immediately stood up, only to get stumble back onto the sofa. He had given several liters of blood to Carl so that they could operate on him safely.

"The bullet nicked a major blood vessel, which has caused internal bleeding. Your blood certainly saved his life, but he's going through it faster than your giving it." Hershel explained.

"The point is, we don't have the proper equipment to operate on him. If he were to move like how he did earlier, Hershel could accidentally hit an artery." Alex finished.

"We need a respirator, and other medical supplies if we can even make an attempt to save him." Alex added informed sadly. She could tell that Rick was starting to shed more tears again. He believed that his son wasn't going to make it. "I'm sorry Rick."

"The nearest hospital went up in flames months ago." Maggie spoke up. "The high school." She then added surprised, with her eyes widening.

"Exactly what I was thinking." Hershel agreed. "They set up a fema shelter there. It would have everything we need."

"Me and Jimmy scouted the place a week ago but it was overrun." Maggie shook her head. "But who knows, maybe it's better now?"

"There is only one way to find out." Shane spoke up. "What I say is leave the rest to me."

"I can't let you go alone." Rick interjected.

Shane couldn't help but smirk. He was going anyway. He would do anything to help Carl. "Draw me a list and point me out on a map. I'll get you what you need."

Maggie nodded and walked out of the room, before getting stopped by Alex. "There's no need for a list. I know what we need." She responded.

"What? You gotta be kidding me." Shane scoffed.

"I'm going whether you like it or not." Alex argued. "Do you even know what half the stuff looks like?"

It was silent for several seconds before Shane hesitantly nodded. "Alright, let's get going then." Maggie walked back into the room where she handed a map of the Georgia area to Shane.

"Here. I would be careful, there are a ton of those things." Maggie warned.

Rick walked up to Alex who was grabbing a duffle bag from one of the houses closets. "Here." He said, handing her his Python Revolver. "You may have an occasion to use it."

"You want me to take your gun?" Alex inquired confusingly. "What happened to _I can't be trusted_?"

"You've already proved that your willing to risk your life to help my family." Rick responded. "If that isn't being trustworthy, then I don't know what is."

Alex took the Python Revolver from his grasp and placed the weapon in the waistband of jeans. She then surprisingly engulfed Rick into a tight hug. "We'll save him." She reassuringly said.

Rick hesitantly accepted the awkward embrace, and returned the hug before letting go. "Thank you."

"Let's get going." Shane coughed, gaining Alex's attention. With that, the two walked out or the house and took one of Hershel's vehicles to the high school.

"Where's your wife?" Maggie asked Rick. "I'll go and get her." Rick gave Maggie the information about the highway they were residing at and the location where the group would most likely be at.

•••

Alex and Shane sat in the old light blue ford truck, with Shane driving. It was quiet while they drove to their destination. Neither of them had spoke since leaving the farm. Alex gazed out the window, watching the sunset. It was a beautiful sight, but the night was dangerous.

 _It was ironic really. During Judgement Day, the dark was both your ally and foe. It made it easier to hide from the machines until the newer models were fit with thermal sensors that made them more efficient for hunting and exterminating humans._

"What you thinking about?" Shane asked, breaking the silence.

"Just concerned for Carl right now." Alex lied. _I can't tell him about a future that no longer exists. Would he even believe the possibility of machines rising? Probably not._

"I think we all are at this point." Shane agreed. "You think he'll make it?"

"I'm not counting on it, but we have to have keep faith right?" Alex said.

"Faith." Shane scoffed. "Faith is what got him shot in the first place. Faith is what got us here right now."

"There is no fate but what we make for ourselves." Alex countered. "That is a saying that I have lived by for years. Carl's fate rests on our shoulders as of right now, and we'll see to it that he lives."

The cab was silent for another long moment before Shane spoke up again. "Guess you have a point."

"I know." Alex smiled proudly. The two rode the rest of the way in silence, with Shane muttering those words, that Alex had spoken, to himself.

There is no fate but what we make for ourselves.

•••

 _ **Author's Note: This chapter was very dramatic. There wasn't much John and Cameron moments besides the flashback scene, but rest assured, there will be plenty of Jameron development in this story and it will come sooner that you think.**_

 _ **For those who payed attention to the story, you'll notice that there aren't certain characters introduced yet. Otis and Patricia don't exist in this universe, therefore it wasn't him that shot Carl, but was instead Jimmy. And you'll even notice that there is in fact another unheard of character present at the Greene farm. She will be explained more next chapter.**_

 _ **Reviews are appreciated!**_


	3. Chapter 3: Running out of Time

**The Walking Dead: Termination Season 2**

 **Chapter 3: Running out of Time**

 ** _Georgia, June 19, 2011: (Greene Farmhouse)_**

 _What is the difference between Judgement Day and the end of the world? Simple, it's the end of the world that strips away our humanity. Who we once were slowly fades away until you are nothing but a shell of your old self. A stranger that doesn't even recognize the life in which they once had._

 _Judgement Day was different, it brought people together. It forced man to put aside their differences and work with one another to destroy what threatened their existence._

 _You fight because you like living, because you don't even know what death is. You don't know for sure what comes after. It could be heaven. It could be hell. It could even be nothing; that when you die, you are just gone. Nothing more, nothing less than sparks of neurons in your biological brain that cease to exist once the life is drained from your very soul. It's this fear that makes us stronger. It's what provides you the strength to keep fighting._

It was dark outside. Nightfall had already descended upon the world yet again, in its daily cycle.

John Connor; the once future leader of mankind was driving down a long trail, with his cyborg protector by his side. Earlier, a random woman, on horseback, came out of nowhere and gave Lori Grimes the news about her son. A mother wouldn't need to be told twice in that situation, so she went with the woman, leaving everyone else puzzled.

Now, John was taking Glenn, T-dog, Amy, Morales, Owen, Carol and Sophia to this farm house where they would have better shelter throughout the night. The rest of the group stayed behind at the highway, hoping that Savannah would return. T-dog had an infection on his arm, due to Alex not using any anesthetics to clean the wound before patching it up. He needed a fresh bandage and antibiotics to save him.

When the SUV pulled up, the group was surprised to see that the house had power. The electrical grid had been down for several months and the sight of a lit house was almost foreign to the new arrivals.

John stopped the SUV right in front of the house, and put the vehicle in park. Glenn and Carol had helped T-dog out of the SUV and guided him inside. Sophia and Owen also followed then, which left only John and Cameron sitting alone.

"This has been a crazy day has it?" John asked no one in particular.

"I don't understand?" Cameron tilted her head in her adorable fashion.

"First we lose a little girl. Then a kid gets shot. Now the group is split up and we are at a farmhouse that has power." John explained.

Cameron returned her head to its normal position. "There is also the dead walking among us." Cameron added.

"There is that." John nodded. "Guess no matter what, humanity is destined to die out huh?"

"You were once destined to become the leader of the Resistance, but that won't happen now." Cameron pointed out. "It is in humanities nature to destroy themselves."

John could remember those words from his old protector. The one who he once considered his best friend and even a father figure.

 _It is in your nature to destroy yourselves._

John didn't listen then. He never thought that when they had stopped Skynet- then what? What would humanity do next that would bring them to the brink of extinction? He already had his answer.

"We should get inside and see where Alex is at." John spoke. He undid his seat belt and stepped out of the car. Cameron also did so and the two both walk to the house and knock on the door.

Once inside, John and Cameron were greeted by the group they had brought along, plus a few new faces that they hadn't seen before. Everybody was gathered in the kitchen, where two young girls were cooking a meal over the stove.

The smell wavered over John's nostrils, instantly making his stomach growl loudly. He hadn't smelt anything like it before. Even before, his mother only ever cooked pancakes. But that wasn't what they were here for. John put his insensationable hunger aside and walked into a room where Rick, Lori, and Hershel were sitting around an unconscious Carl.

"How is he?" John asked, breaking the silence.

"He's stable for now, but if your people don't return, we will have to make a choice." Hershel reported.

"Make a choice?" Rick asked confused. "What do you mean by ' _make a choice?'"_

"He's losing a lot of blood, and you can only give so much before it takes its toll on you." Hershel explained. "If they aren't back soon, then we have no choice but to operate on your boy."

"Who left?" John asked.

"Shane and Alex." Rick tiredly answered.

"She'll be back soon. I know she will." John responded back. Even if Alex was always the weird one, she would always focus on the mission. Years as a soldier will do that to you.

"John?" Cameron tugged at John's shirt sleeve. "If Alex isn't back within two hours, then Carl will go into cardiac arrest and he will die." She whispered. John nodded in acceptance. Another person was going to die if they didn't act. They needed to do something.

 ** _Georgia, June 19, 2011: (Newnan High School)_**

 ** _8:43 pm_**

Alex and Shane had arrived at the high school that was marked on the map. Now, they were slowly crawling up the hill, where the loud audible sounds of moaning and growling could be heard.

Sure enough, the school was still infested with Walkers.

"Keep it down will you?" Alex quietly snapped at Shane. _He had clearly never snuck around in the dark before. If this were J-Day, he would be shot down by machines already._

"Sorry." Shane said apologetically. "Guess you're used to sneaking around like this?" He then asked curiously.

"Ever since I was a little girl." Alex replied, not taking her eyes off the horde that stood several feet in front of them.

"Guess that's another story that you have to tell me." Shane chuckled. The two continued their slow advance towards three local police cars and hid behind the middle one.

"Damn, the trailer is literally on the other side." Alex muttered in frustration. "We need a distraction."

Shane nodded in agreement. "It would be a terrible idea to have one of us distract all of those geeks." Shane then said.

"What do you suggest?" Alex asked.

Shane ignored Alex and slowly made his way to the passenger seat of the cop car and slowly opened it, careful not to make too much noise. Once the vehicle's door was open, he popped the trunk open, and slowly crept back to Alex.

Alex slowly opened the hood, just as Shane had rejoined her and he reached inside, grabbing a flare. "How did you know these were in here?" She asked.

"I used to be a cop remember." Shane answered simply. Alex nodded once in acceptance and grabbed two more flares from the vehicle and quietly closed the trunk. Shane and Alex light the flares and throw them as far as they could, away from the FEMA cabin that was crowded by the Walkers.

Unsurprisingly enough, the Walker's followed the glowing light that illuminated from the flares and began to crowd around them. Shane and Alex took this opportunity and began making a quiet break towards the cabin and entered inside.

So far, their plan was working, they just needed to grab the supplies and get out of the area.

Alex pulled a small keychain flashlight from her pocket, as well as the slip of paper that she had written down. Both her and Shane spent the next several minutes, grabbing what the needed for Carl, and piled them into the duffle bag that Alex was carrying. Now they had everything that they needed.

"I expected this to go south." Shane said rather surprised.

"Hey, don't jinx it!" Alex mockingly remarked. She zipped the duffle bag closed and slung the strap around her right shoulder. "You ready?" She then asked.

"As ready as I'll ever be." Shane mumbled and placed his hand on the door knob. With that, he opened the door, and both him and Alex step out of the trailer. But something was wrong. What they saw over the railing, was every Walker staring at the two. Their rotting eyes screaming hunger as they surrounded the two.

"You had to jinx it, didn't you?" Alex gritted her teeth and elbowed Shane in the ribs unecessarly hard. This day was about to get a whole lot more complicated.

 ** _Georgia, June 19, 2011: (Greene Farmhouse)_**

John and Cameron sat outside of the farm house. The house was already too crowded with everyone there and John needed some space. The two young girls had made dinner for everyone, so John grabbed a plate and took it outside to eat. It was some canned vegetables, deviled eggs, and baked chicken. John relished in the food, knowing that it was rare to have a meal such as this.

"If you don't slow down your food consumption, you'll upset your stomach." Cameron stoically stated.

"Sorry, it's just so good." John said with his mouth full. Cameron hardly understood what he said, but decided not to say anything.

John set down his plate on next to him, on the bench he was sitting and took a long drink of his glass of water. "It's already been an hour." John then said.

"I know." Cameron responded.

"If Alex doesn't get back soon, then it's possible that Carl will die." John sighed heavily.

"I know." Cameron repeated.

 _That's odd, she would normally give you a direct answer._ "What's wrong Cam? You seem off." John asked concerned. _Why is she acting like this again?_

"I'm fine." She monotoned. But John knew she wasn't fine. _She had been doing better lately, but all of this mess probably reminded her of Oklahoma maybe? No one was on the brink of death then, so how could it affect her now?_

"You're not fine Cameron." John pointed out. "Remember, you can always talk to me."

It was silent for the longest time, while Cameron just looked down at her hands, and John patiently waited for her to speak.

"I'm a machine." She finally spoke, breaking the tension.

"You're not just a machine Cam, you're much more than that." John argued. _Where is this coming from?_

"Am I?" She mused. "I'm no better than the walking corpses that took Sarah away." She responded sadly. "I was designed to kill humans. To kill you."

"I know you've killed before, but that doesn't mean that you are evil. You only did what you had to. What you thought was right." John explained.

"What different am I from Roamers? They kill people everyday, just like machines did in the future. I am a killer and therefore a threat." Cameron stubbornly replied.

"Look at me." John ordered calmly, as he shifted his body towards her position. "That day when you reverted back to your old programming, you did just that remember?" Cameron nodded once. "When I handed you that gun, when Mom and Derek were about to burn you, what did you do?"

"John, I-"

"-What did you do?" John interrupted.

"I overrid my programming." Cameron hesitantly answered.

" _You overrid your programming_." John repeated Cameron's answer. "Do you know why?"

"I…" She hesitated again. "I chose to."

"You chose to, because you're different. you had the ability to make a choice." John said. "How many machines could you name that did what you did?"

"None." Cameron admitted. _Why does he have so much faith in me?_

"See." John grinned. "Sometimes I look at you, and I see someone who is more human than an actual human would be."

"You really think so?" Cameron asked innocently.

John nodded. "I know so. You and Alex are the only family I have left. I have faith in you." John unexpectedly placed his arm over Cameron's shoulder and pulled her closer to him. "Remember, you're more than a machine."

"Thank you John." Cameron smirked. The two sat on the bench for several more minutes, watching as the moon had come out and casted it's light over the night sky.

•••

All that could be heard was the immense sounds of growling and moaning. Alex and Shane had escaped the FEMA trailer, but we're now trapped in the heart of the high school. They were currently sprinting down the hallway, trying to make every possible turn in hopes of evading the Walker horde that pursued them.

Shane was visibly out of breath already from the constant running. Alex had no intentions of hiding the fact that she didn't get winded very easily, and was focused on getting her and Shane as far away from the undead as she could.

"Over here!" She shouted and led Shane to the left. They now ran down another corridor where they came across a set of double dark blue doors that were chained together.

"Yeah, great going Alex, you've trapped us!" Shane spat out in frustration.

"Oh, I'm sorry that i'm trying to keep us alive!" Alex sarcastically countered. Shane was about to speak up, when suddenly, the Walker horde rounded the corner and advanced closer and closer to the two.

"Oh shit!" Shane muttered in horror. He turned his attention from the locked doors and began bashing at the chain with the butt of his rifle.

Alex drew Rick's Revolver, which he had lent her, and started firing round after round at the undead, with their heads exploding and falling to the ground. But that wasn't it. She had went through the six rounds fairly quickly and needed to reload.

But there wasn't enough time for that.

Alex spun around, pushing Shane out of the way, and ripped the chain clean off the door handles. Shane noticed the incredible feat of strength, but there was no time for questions now. He could ask away when they were safe.

Alex pushed the door open and both her and Shane run through, with no time to close the door behind them. Now, Alex and Shane were running down another hallway that was identical to the previous ones. At this point, they believed they were running in circles.

"Through here!" Shane barked and ran through another set of doors. Alex followed the man, and they both enter the school gymnasium. Shane and Alex quickly observe the surrounding and find that the bleachers were put up. There were some windows that were also above the bleachers, which provided the perfect escape.

Both Alex and Shane rush up to the bleachers and began to climb, by putting each foot into the crevasses, just as the horde had entered the gym. Both were very lucky and had gotten on top just as the Walker's had reached their location.

"Whew." Shane sighed and rubbed the sweat from his forehead. They were safe for the meantime. The sounds of the Walker's growling had engulfed the room making it hard to hear much.

"The drop is pretty deep." Alex spoke up. She had looked through the window to see they were almost two stories high off the ground.

"Alright, so what's the plan?" Shane asked.

"I don't know at this point. There are Walkers everywhere." Alex tiredly sighed.

"I see no way out, besides these here windows." Shane pointed out. "I don't think we have a choice."

"I know, I know," Alex stuttered. She stood up and used the butt of Rick's Revolver to smash the window. Once the glass was shattered, Alex dropped the duffle bag out of the window, with it landing on the grass field below.

"You go first, make sure it's clear for us." Shane motioned his head at the shattered window. Alex nodded in understanding that now wasn't the time for arguments and crawled out of the window and leaped onto the ground.

"Your turn!" Alex called out to the man.

Shane dropped his rifle, and started to slowly climb out, and then let go. He fell and landed in the bushes, on his right leg, causing him to wail out in pain. "Son of bitch!" He cursed himself, holding his ankle.

Alex ran up to Shame and knelt down. "Are you okay?" She asked concerned.

"I'll be fine." Shane gritted his teeth. Alex gazed to her right, only to see even more Walkers slowly creeping up on them.

"Are you able to walk?" Alex asked, not taking her eyes off the horde of the undead.

"Yeah, I think I'm good." Shane nodded, as he stood up, and almost falling in the process.

"Good, because we need to run." She said, and grabbed him by the arm. The two had ran as fast as they could. For some odd reason, the Walkers seemed more faster than usual, which didn't help much. Now Shane's leg was badly wounded, due to the way he had landed when he jumped out of the window.

 _Could this day get any worse?_

After much running, with Alex mostly having to carry Shane, they had reached the parking lot where the truck was located. But with the Walker's following them so closely, they wouldn't make it inside the truck in time. They would be torn apart for sure if they tried.

Shane let go of his grip on Alex shoulder and began to check his rifle. _Shit no ammo!_ Shane then took out the Glock from the waistband in his jeans and checked the ammo. "I have four left, plus one in the chamber. What about you?" He asked.

"None." Alex replied. "I lost some of the bullets in the hallway."

"Better make these count then." Shane mumbled and turned around, firing off three shots at the horde. There was no use however. The horde of Walkers was too large and five bullets went gonna cut it. They weren't gonna make it out alive.

Shane looked back down at his weapon. There was one bullet left. _I have to save Carl, I have to._ Shane gazed at Alex for a split second. She had came with him because she wanted to help save Carl's life. She wanted to correct the mistake that she had made back at the camp. _I can't shoot her, and just leave her for dead. Can I? She did leave Merle after all._

Shane sighed and looked back at Alex who was now staring back at him with those piercing blue eyes. The ones that were screaming fear. "I'm sorry." Shane sadly uttered. He was about to take his Glock, and aim at Alex's leg, until she spoke in a soft voice.

"I'm sorry too." Alex said. She closed the gap between her and Shane and pulled him into a deep passionate kiss. This surprised Shane as he hadn't expected this whatsoever. He reluctantly returned the kiss, but let go soon after. Time seemed to slow down, as they both stared into each other's eyes. Even Alex was surprised with herself of what she had done.

 _I was about to kill her. I can't do that now._ Now he felt guilty for even thinking that thought. Shane frantically looked around when something particular caught his eye. Right next to the Walker horde was a giant propane tank.

Suddenly an idea popped into Shane's mind. "Do you still have that last flare?" He quickly asked. She nodded and pulled out the flare for the duffle bag, and was going to hand it to him when he shook his head. "When I say now, I want you to throw it at that gas tank." He ordered.

Alex nodded and got ready. Shane then quickly aimed his weapon at the propane tank and fired off his last shot at the object. The tank began to leak fuel that started to make a giant puddle.

"Now!" Shane barked. Alex popped off the flare, and threw it as far as she could, at the tank, with it landing perfectly near the puddle of leaking propane. The flare lit the gas ablaze, and the tank blew.

 ** _KA BOOM!_**

The explosion had engulfed almost every Walker, and sent the remaining ones soaring through the air from the initial blast. The shock wave sent Alex and Shane flying backwards, with them landing on top of each other.

It was silent for several minutes, as the fire had raged, and the remaining Walkers that were crippled, growled angrily. Alex and Shane coughed, as the smoke had surrounded them. Alex opened her eyes to see that she was on top of Shane, and he under her.

"Are you okay?" He asked awkwardly.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Alex said between coughs. "What about you?" She then asked.

"Well we just blew several Walkers to kingdom come, so I feel pretty damn great." Shane chuckled. The two stumbled onto their feet, and witnessed the destruction that they had caused.

"Let's get out of here. That sound probably drew in every Geek for miles." Alex suggested. Shane nodded and with that, the two hopped in the truck and drove away, not speaking to each other along the way.

•••

Hershel Greene stood amongst Rick and the rest of the group inside of the living room. "We are out of time." He informed. It had already been almost two hours and if they didn't operate now, then Carl could quite possibly die tonight.

Lori began to shed tears, as Rick hugged her tight, trying to reassure her. They didn't want their son to die but they had to take that risk.

Cameron walked up to Hershel. "I can help." She offered. "I have some experience in human anatomy."

Hershel just simply nodded. He needed all the help that he could get. Hershel and Cameron were about to walk out of the room, and into the room where Carl was residing, ready to operate on him, when suddenly, they all heard the sounds of a vehicle engine approaching the property.

Everybody ran out the door, to see both Alex and Shane exit the vehicle, with Alex carrying a large duffle bag. "You're back." Rick sighed in relief.

"There's no time for reunions, we have to work on him now!" Hershel barked. Alex nodded in acceptance, knowing that Carl needed help. Both Hershel and Alex bolt back inside the house, and began the operation.

Lori walked up to Shane and gave him a hug, and began to sob on his shoulder. Shane awkwardly gazed at Rick who was staring back. "What happened over there?" Rick asked, referring to the sweat and soot that covered his face.

"The place was still overrun. Me and Alex almost didn't make it out alive." Shane explained.

"Thank you Shane." Lori sniffled. She was grateful that he had risked his own life for Carl.

"You know I would do anything for you, Rick and Carl." Shane smiled.

Rick just chuckled. "Let's get you inside." He said, breaking the tension. Rick and Lori led Shane into the farmhouse where he could get some food and rest. He did deserve it after all, but they weren't out of the woods yet. Carl still needed to survive the operation.

 ** _Los Angeles California, April 26, 2011: (Connor Residence)_**

Sarah Connor stood in the kitchen. It was something she had done constantly over the past couple of days, almost as common as Cameron would do. Ever since L.A. fell, she had remained cautious of what was going on outside. After seeing the city being bombed by the military, Sarah knew that this was worse than Judgement Day.

"Sarah?" Cameron spoke up, breaking the older woman from her thoughts. Sarah turned her head towards the doorway to see Cameron peeking in with an innocent expression on her face. "Are you ready?" She then asked.

Sarah nodded and grabbed her shotgun off the table, and walked into the living room.

"Where are you guys going?" John asked as he descended from the stairs.

"Out." Sarah simply answered. "We are out of food and need supplies." Sarah and John never expected to quickly run out of food in the house. But that was what happened when your shopping list mainly consisted of pancake mix and cold cut turkey.

"Well then, I'm coming with." John crossed his arms.

"No you're not." Sarah ordered. "We don't even know what the hell is going on right now."

"I'm nineteen years old, and you don't have control over me anymore mom." John argued.

"John, please. We don't know what is happening. If something were to happen to you, I don't know how I could handle it." Sarah pleaded.

"I have to see it for myself." John ignored his mother's plea. "Please mom, don't treat me like a kid anymore."

Sarah was hesitant at first, but eventually, she agreed. John ran upstairs and reappeared a moment later with his old school bag and Derek's old Beretta handgun. The two then set off, to scavenge what they could in the already decimated city.

•••

The sun was beating down as it was in the center of the sky. Even with the end of the world, the California heat never went away. The scene was very suspenseful. John, Sarah and Cameron were already several blocks from their house, where they came across an abandoned strip mall.

There were overturned vehicles, and most of the surrounding buildings were burnt out. It was a miracle that the raging fires didn't reach their neighborhood.

Surprisingly enough, there it was quiet. Too quiet.

Cameron led John and Sarah to one of the stores which appeared to be a farmers market. The doors and windows were bared with shutters, which prevented anyone from breaking inside.

Cameron easily ripped the chain off, and lifted the shutter up. Sarah then used the butt of her shotgun to break the glass doors and entered inside.

"Okay, Tin Miss, you and John stay up here and stock up on food." Sarah commanded. "I'm going to check the pharmacy for any meds that we might need in the future." John and Cameron nod and start packing food into their bags.

Sarah walked up to the where the pharmacy was located and sure enough, it was also locked down with shutters blocking her and the medicine. Sarah set down her shot gun and pulled a Bobby pin from her hair. She then used the bobby pin to fiddle with the lock, successfully unlocking in on the first try.

 _Huh, guess years of being locked up in the nuthouse really does benefit you._

Sarah lifted up the shutter of the window and crawled inside. Each shelf was fully stocked with medicine, almost like it had never been touched. Sarah repeated the same actions as John and Cameron did with the food and began sweeping the entire shelf into her bag. _Never know when you could need these,_ She thought.

As Sarah continued to fill her bag, she didn't notice the figure slowly rising behind her.

After all was said and done, Sarah zipped her bag closed and slung the strap around her. So far everything was going as planned. Suddenly, heavy footsteps could be heard behind Sarah. "What is John?" She asked. When there was no response, she quickly turned around to see that a man was standing behind her. But this man was pale and his left cheek missing.

Sarah's heart dropped instantly. It was those infected people that she had heard about on the news. The man growled, and lashed out at Sarah, taking her to the ground in the process. The man was now on top of Sarah, clamping it's teeth together, which made a clicking sound. Sarah began to scream in fear as the man was too strong for her and was nearing closer and closer to her.

Sarah closed her eyes, ready for what this crazy man was going to do to her. _I'm sorry John._ Sarah was prepared to just let go. She was willing to give up without a fight.

The man eventually overpowered Sarah and bit down on her neck, causing it to gush with blood. All Sarah could feel was pain. Absolute pain. It was worse than anything that she had ever endured over her life. The man then took another bite into the same area of Sarah's neck, and ripping out more flesh. Now all Sarah could feel was numbness.

Unexpectedly, a gunshot rang throughout the store, and the man went limp. Cameron stood over the counter with her Glock handgun raised, and her eyes widened in shock. John came stomping towards the sound of screaming and saw Cameron looking over the counter. John then gazed at what she was staring at. It was his mother.

"Mom!" John exclaimed in worry as he slid over the counter. "No, no, no, Mom!" He shouted. She was still breathing however, which made John somewhat relieved. He gently picked her up and guided her to the closed door.

Cameron didn't need to be told, and as soon as John neared the door, it swung opened with Cameron walking in to aid Sarah.

John and Cameron had Sarah's arms around their shoulders as they led her out of the store.

"Cameron, can you help her?" John asked. But Cameron didn't answer, instead she just stared out at the road. There was more of the infected people slowly walking towards. "We have to get out of here." He then said.

John and Cameron diverted away from their original route and dragged Sarah down an alleyway, with the infected people still giving chase.

"The gunshot must've attracted them." John pointed out between heavy breaths. With the sun beating down on him and he carrying his mother fatigued him greatly, and the infected people were gaining. The two continued to guide Sarah through the alley, until they came up to a barricade. "Shit, were trapped, what do we do?"

Cameron stalked up to a large dumpster and pulled it until it blocked the alley. However, the infected people began to slowly push it out of the way with ease. "Take Sarah back home. I'll take care of them." Cameron ordered, and pulled her Glock from the back of her jeans.

"I'm not going to leave you Cam!" John shook his head. "That's too much people, even for you."

"You have to get Sarah to safety!" Cameron rose her voice in what appeared to be frustration. "Go!"

John hesitantly nodded and began to lift Sarah up on the dumpster to climb over the fence that was blocking the way.

"John." Sarah weakly moaned as she grabbed his wrist. "I'm not gonna make it."

"What? Yes you are!" He snapped. "After all the years of fighting, now you're going to give up?"

"Look at me John." Sarah weakly motioned at the wound on her neck. "I've lost too much blood."

Cameron backed up slowly, until she was close enough to Sarah and John.

"Cameron." She then spoke, gaining the young cyborg's attention. That was the first time in years that she had called her by her name. "Take care of John for me." Sarah begged with sadness, as she began to shed tears.

John couldn't accept the fact of what his mother was going to do."There's gotta be another way!" John wailed, as he too began to shed tears.

Sarah smiled weakly at her son. "My beautiful boy." She stroked the tears from his cheeks. "Cameron," She then gazed at the cyborg. "Give me a weapon." She then said in determination. Cameron nodded and handed her favorite Glock to Sarah, which she gratefully took.

The dumpster that was blocking the way began to move even more, as the infected began to push it. "John, we have to go!" Cameron shouted and grabbed him by the arm. First John hesitantly climbed over the fence, then Cameron. But before she completely climbed over, Cameron looked back at Sarah one more time, before disappearing over the fence.

•••

 **Author's Note: A very action packed chapter indeed. I guess we are going to have to wait to see how Shane and Alex's relationship grows after what happened.**

 **This story was probably the most emotional one I have written since the infamous "chapter 3" of the first season. It's going to be one hell of a ride for our beloved TSCC characters, and it can't wait to see where our journey takes us!**

 **Poor Sarah. I couldn't bring myself to write her death, but we all know what happened in that alleyway, so we don't really need an explanation. I feel that even if she was bitten, she wouldn't go down without a fight.**

 **Reviews are appreciated**


	4. Chapter 4: Helping Hand

**I have to say that I'm surprised that last chapter was well received, (besides my reviewing rule at the end being contradicted, which was bad doing on my part), So here's another one.**

 **I'm also surprised that I'm already receiving Alex and Shane shipping, which I'm pretty glad about, so I'll try to develop that relationship a lot more!**

 **I hope you enjoy this simple yet crazy chapter.**

 **The Walking Dead: Termination Season 2**

 **Chapter 4: Helping Hand**

 _ **Georgia, June 20, 2011: (Greene Farm)**_

 _ **6:59 am**_

 _Time. It doesn't dictate our lives. It controls us not because it can, but because we let it. That's what our life has been since as long as we could remember. A war that we had been fighting since before it even existed. A war that wasn't meant to happen in the first place._

 _Time once controlled us, our role within the future, and our very existence. I don't know if its fate that brought us here. If it was even humanity's fate to die out in the first place._

 _Faith That's what most of us use to keep going. Because at the end of the day, you have to see this world as another Judgement Day, where you keep fighting for humanity to have a future._

 _You use time as a tool to your advantage. You use faith as a weapon._

It was a beautiful morning. The sun had just risen above the tree line, and the birds began to chirp. Even if the world had ended, nature still managed to stay the same. Without humans polluting the sky, rivers, and oceans, nature would most likely take back the earth. Nature would become dominant once again.

Cameron spent the entire morning, sitting in front of the fire, at the campsite she and John had set up the night before. They weren't sure how long they would be staying, with Carl still recovering from last night's surgery. It could be a few days, weeks, even months before they would move on.

"Morning," a deep gruff voice greeted from behind Cameron. She turned her head to look behind her, only to see Shane approach her. He was still limping pretty badly.

Cameron paid no attention to the man, and continued to stare into the embers of the depleted fire.

"Not much of a talker huh?" Shane inquired. He took a seat next to Cameron and too stared into the fire pit. "You know, we never really got to talk." He then mentioned.

"What is there to talk about?" Cameron tilted her head, still not taking her eyes from the fire pit.

Shane just chuckled. "Well, not really anything. We hardly know each other." Shane sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "I know you're not really a social little one, but I thought I'd just say, so far you're pulling your weight around here." Shane thanked. "Hell, I never thought a pretty thing like you, could track like Dixon."

"There's a lot of stuff you don't know about me." Cameron monotoned.

Shane responded with a scoff. "Like what?"

"What's my name?" Cameron challenged.

"Uhh…" Shane scratched his head. "Abigail?" His response was a terminator like glare, before Cameron went back to stare into the embers.

"Look, I'm sorry I forgot your name." Shane apologized. "We've been in the same group for only a few days now, and I'm still not well acquainted with your people."

Minutes went by, as the two didn't utter a single word. Shane gave up and stumbled back onto his feet, and began to walk away.

"It's Cameron," She finally spoke. Shane turned back around, about to speak, when he suddenly heard the sounds of engines approaching. Down the long trail, Dale's RV, Ellison's sedan, and Carols Jeep Cherokee come into view.

Cameron stood and both her and Shane walk up to the front of the house where the vehicles had just parked. Rick, Lori, T-dog, Hershel and the rest of his family walk out of the house just as her and Shane approached.

"How is he?" Dale asked, breaking the silence.

"He'll pull through," Lori happily nodded. She was just relieved that her son had survived. "Thanks to Hershel, and his people and-"

"Shane and Alex." Rick interrupted. "We'd have lost Carl if not for them."

Dale gave Rick a friendly hug, while Carol did the same for Lori. They were almost out of this nightmare. Now, only Savannah had to be found.

"How'd it happen?" Dale then asked.

Hunting accident." Rick responded. "That's all- just a stupid accident."

Ellison just stood behind everyone, with a blank expression on his face. He was still so worried for Savannah being alone out there. The mere thought of her being alone and cold and freezing made him shudder.

"Still no luck?" T-dog asked Ellison, after noticing his worried state.

"She's still out there. We have to find her." Was all that he could say. The former agent looked heavily fatigued, like he hadn't had any sleep nor food in the last two days.

"And we will find her." Rick reassured.

The group went inside the house after Hershel had invited them for breakfast while Cameron stood in the same spot outside.

 _Knowing John, he wouldn't want to miss out on breakfast. Maybe they'll have pancakes?_

Cameron turned on her heels and stalked back to the campsite, that was located underneath the a few trees, to retrieve John.

•••

After a good, morning meal, everyone now gathered around Carol's Jeep, where Maggie had laid out a map of the area.

"How long has this girl been lost?" Hershel asked.

"This'll be day three." Rick simply answered. "We can grid the whole area, start searching in teams." He then directed his attention to the map.

"Not you, not today." Hershel sternly spoke. "You gave three units of blood. You wouldn't be hiking five minutes in this heat before passing out." The old man then turned to Shane. "And your ankle- push it now, you'll be laid up a month. No good to anybody."

"Guess it's just me." Daryl nodded. "I'm gonna head back up to the creek, work my way from there."

"We're also helping." Ellison spoke up as he, Jonn, Alex, Owen, and Cameron walk up to the group.

"Good to see that you have more capable people around." Hershel nodded.

"Okay, Daryl can take the creek, while you five split up and cover these two areas." Rick strategically pointed on the map.

"Me, Cameron, and Owen can take the local town area." John said. "Alex and Ellison can go back to the highway and drop off a few things for if Savannah finds her way back."

"Alright, here's the thing." Shane spoke. "What if we find Savannah and she's bit? I think we should be clear on how we handle that."

Rick closed his eyes. It was something he hoped he would never have to do. Kill a child. "You do what needs to be done." He said, mentally punching himself.

"But she won't be bitten." Ellison sneered. "We're gonna find her and she's going to be fine." As a man of faith, Ellison tried to keep a positive attitude. It still didn't help the fact that Savannah; the little girl who he had been taking care of, alongside Catherine Weaver, was missing. He feared for her safety. If he ever saw the liquid metal terminator again, he would be sure to give her a piece of his mind.

"That means we can't have our people out there with just knives. I say we give them the gun training that they been needing." Shane mentioned.

"I prefer you not carrying guns on my property. We've managed so far without turning this into an armed camp." There was that sense of doubt in Hershel's eyes that Cameron had noticed. The sense of fear perhaps? The fear of their group using their weaponry to over power his family and take his land from him.

Even if Cameron didn't understand people that well, she still could see why he didn't want strangers carrying guns around the camp.

"With all due respect," Shane began. "You get a crowd of those things wandering in here-"

"We're guests here." Rick interrupted. "This is your property, and we _will_ respect that." Rick didn't like the idea of being unarmed as much as Shane did, but this was the only safe haven they had since the camp back in Atlanta. If it meant choosing his family over his protection against his family, he was prepared to sacrifice it all to keep them safe.

Rick took his Python from his holster and placed it on the hood of the vehicle, implying that everyone else should follow Hershel's wish.

Everybody else followed Rick's example, and placed their guns on the hood of the Jeep. That is, except Cameron. She was hesitant on giving up her weapon. It was one of the only things she could protect John with.

John gently snatched the gun from Cameron's small dainty hands and placed the weapon on the hood. John received a glare in return.

"Okay, first things first. Set up camp, find Savannah." Rick brought up once more. "Today, Daryl will search the creek while Ellison and Owen go up to the interstate to check for if she returns," Rick acknowledged.

Rick then turned his attention to John and Cameron. "You two help with any chores Hershel might need done. We have to start pulling our weight around here." The two nod and walk away, with Cameron turning her head to gaze at her favorite Handgun.

"And what about me?" Alex asked confused. So far everyone had a job to do except her.

"You and Shane will scout for an area where we can start gun training. We need it far enough from here, where Walkers won't be drawn to us," Rick explained.

Alex's eyes wandered up to Shane, where they engaged in an awkward stare off between one another. Alex finally eased off and looked back down at the map.

"Around this area is probably best. It's more open, so if there happens to be a _Herd_ nearby, then we can easily evade them and draw the Walkers away from the farm's location." Rick continued, as he pointed at the map. Now that everything was said and done, everyone split off and began their work for the day.

•••

"Can't believe we have to take care of the horses." John muttered angrily. Hershel had asked the two to make sure that the horses had plenty of hay, and had fresh water. It was a meaningless task in John's eyes. He felt that he should be out there looking for Savannah, not taking care of livestock.

Cameron picked up a hay bale and placed it front of one of the horses. Not to her surprise however, the horse lashed out and started backing up from her. He was scared of Cameron.

"I don't think he likes me." Cameron said sadly.

John set down the wheelbarrow and walked over to the pen where Cameron was standing in, with the horse hugging against the corner. "I always thought it was just dogs that were scared of you?" John inquired.

"I thought so too." Cameron responded truthfully. _I've never seen a real life horse anyway._

John slowly and cautiously walked over to the horse and began to place his hand on his snout. The mammal hesitated before it eased up on John's touch and allowed him control. "Give me your hand." John whispered, while he stuck out his hand at Cameron.

Cameron complied and gave John her hand. He then slowly and methodically guided her hand until it was within inches away. The horse hesitated again and tried to move his head away from Cameron, but John calmed him down. Again, Cameron tried, until finally, she successfully placed her hand on the snout of the beautiful steed.

Cameron gently petted the animal, relishing at the fact that this horse was beginning to trust her. John released his grasp from the horse and backed away.

The horse didn't run away or cower in fear like how he did just moments ago. Instead, he let Cameron continue to pet him. John could see the look of softness in Cameron's eyes. It was something he solemnly saw in her. Her face looked so innocent. So beautiful.

The horse backed away a moment later, but not in fear, but hunger. He plunged his head downward and began drinking water.

Cameron cautiously moved the hay bale right next to the water tub, and backed out of the pen. She then closed the gate and turned around, with John watching intently.

"I say you did pretty good." John grinned.

Cameron smirked mischievously, while her posture displayed confidence. "I know." She said.

The two continued to water and feed the horses until every one of them was satisfied. John had to give Cameron credit. She was coming a long way from that mindless killing machine he once knew. Even the animals began to see that.

•••

Meanwhile; back at the farm, Dale, T-dog, and Owen were standing around one of the wells on the property. T-dog had been pumping the lever, trying to fill several buckets for the camp to use, while Dale and Owen stood around him, doing absolutely nothing.

"So, what's your story?" Dale asked Owen curiously. He had never had a chance to talk to the young man.

"Story," Owen mused. "I really don't have one," Owen replied truthfully. "I had a rough childhood, but that's about it."

Dale just nodded in acceptance and the two stood idly by, watching as T-dog continued to pump water from the well.

"Hey everyone." Morales greeted as he walked up to the the three. "What are you up to?" He then asked.

"Just fetching some water." T-dog tiredly answered. Even though he was still recovering from his wound, he was doing most of the work.

After much conversation, Owen eventually took over, allowing T-dog a break. Dale had wandered off not too far, to check out how actually clean the Well was compared to what Hershel claimed it to be.

"So, I'm guessing that those antibiotics are working?" Morales asked T-dog.

"Oh, yeah," T-dog chuckled. "Soon, I'll be combing these woods like Rambo, finding that little girl." He then said.

"What about you?" Morales then asked Owen. "What is the rest of your people like?"

"People?" Owen inquired. Morales had just changed the subject so suddenly, that it took him by surprise. "You mean John, Cameron, and Ellison?" Morales simply nodded. "What am I to say, I saved their asses from one of those _Herds_ the day before we arrived in Georgia, but I can't say that I know them well."

"You've encountered one of those _Herds_ before." Morales mused. _Guessed they started migrating earlier than we thought._

"I'm surprised you didn't become Geek food." T-dog sarcastically said as he lifter the ladle to get a drink of water. But before he could even take a sip, Dale came up to him, and smacked the ladle out of his hands.

"I wouldn't drink that if I were you."

•••

"Ew, that thing looks like the Fat Bastard from Austin Powers." Alex grimaced. Inside the well, there was a Walker trapped in the water, making faint gurgling and growling sounds. It was heavily bloated due to decay and the water it was surrounded by.

"Guess we got ourselves a swimmer." Dale also mocked the Walker.

"Who knows how long has it been down there." Lori said.

"Long enough to grow gills." Owen nonchalantly said. The undead corpse looked like a cross between a frog and your average cable guy.

"So, what do we do?" Glenn asked.

"Easy, put a bullet through its head." T-dog sneered.

"That's not a good idea." Owen questioned. He knelt down and observed the Walker more closely. The water it was standing in was only the collected rainwater, which would be filtered out through the pump. "If it hasn't contaminated the water yet, then blowing its brains out will do the job."

"So what's the plan?" Morales asked. "We can't just ask it to climb out."

"I say we lure it out." Shane suggested.

"And how do we do that?" Alex asked Shane. He responded with a smirk, as his gaze shifted towards Glenn. Alex immediately knew what he was thinking.

•••

John and Cameron walked back into the camp that they had set up, right under the tree, where John sat down on one of the chairs.

"Man, feeding horses is hard work." John tiredly groaned, and stretching his arms.

"Do you think Hershel would let us ride one?" Cameron asked. Ever since John had helped her gain the horse's trust, she was now eager to spend more time with them.

"I don't know," John truthfully said. "Can they even carry you?" _She did always say that she was heavier than she looked._

"Horses can lift up to over 240 pounds of weight," Cameron explained. "The horse should be able to support me."

"Then, we just have to ask-"

John didn't have a chance to finish his sentence, when suddenly, the sounds of screaming could he heard from across the field, near the barn.

John and Cameron immediately bolted towards the source of the sound, where Owen, Dale, T-dog, Morales; Shane, Lori, and Alex were holding a rope that led down towards the well. The sounds of more faint screaming, and even growling could be heard down the deep hole.

Maggie was knelt down near the well, shouting down into it, while everyone else struggled to handle the rope. John saw that Alex was holding the rope too, but wasn't putting any of her strength into it. She didn't want anyone to find out about what she really was.

"Help me, please help!" A voice came from the well. It was Glenn's voice and he sounded terrified.

"Hurry!" Maggie snapped at the group. They were all trying their best to pull Glenn up.

Eventually Alex decided to put a little more effort into the job, considering Glenn's life was in danger, and began to pull the rope with all that she had. Once Glenn was closer to the surface, Cameron quickly grabbed the young man, and pulled him out, with them falling backwards, and him landing right on top of her.

Everyone panted heavily. They just had a close call, which in turn, almost got Glenn killed.

Glenn unscrewed his eyes, which then, he was met with the face of a confused Cameron staring up at him with confusion. He immediately got off of Cameron and stood up embarrassed, but still stopping to help her up.

Even though Cameron didn't need the aid, she still gratefully took Glenn's hand, which he then proceeded to lift her up. "Man… you're heavier than you look," He breathed heavily.

"Guess it's back to the drawing board." Dale wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"Says you." Glenn mocked his earlier remark and tossed the rope at the old man. Dale just stared off at Glenn as he walked away, until the rope tugged. Dale couldn't believe his eyes. After the whole incident with him almost falling to his death by a Walker, and his screaming in terror the whole time, he had actually managed to get the noose around its body.

After all said and done, they had finally pulled the Well Walker out from its hiding place, using one of the trucks. The Walker however, was so decomposed, that the weight of its body and the tightening rope had tore it in half, with its guts spilling out back into the Well.

 _ **Georgia, June 20, 2011: (Interstate)**_

 _ **3 Hours Later**_

The wind blew, steadily, as the sun rose to the middle of the sky. The crickets could be heard chirping in the surrounding forests. That's all that Ellison could really hear at the moment. Just wind and insects.

"We'll try again tomorrow." Alex tried reassuring the agent. The two were standing next to the hood of an old tan 1964 Ford Mustang. They had brought food and water to leave behind, and even left a message on the windshield, just in case she were to return.

"She can't go on another day like this." Ellison muttered to himself. "I can't go another day like this."

"Hey, she's been raised by both you and a liquid metal terminator." Alex said as she placed her right hand on Ellison's shoulder. "She's tough."

Moments went by as Ellison didn't respond. He just stood there, watching the car as if he was expecting her to return at that moment.

Eventually Alex gave up for the time being and walked away, where Shane was standing.

"I was thinking, that since the location that Rick wanted to use for gun training isn't too far away, we should check it out." Shane simply suggested.

"That's probably a good idea." Alex agreed. She turned away from Shane and walked back towards Ellison. The two conversed for a few seconds, before Ellison nodded. With that, they all hopped back into Carol's Cherokee, and drove down the interstate.

•••

Meanwhile, back at the farm, Cameron was walking aimlessly, around the entire property. John was off, helping Owen and T-dog fish the lower body of the Walker out of the Well. She thought that for the meantime it was safe, but she still didn't like when he wasn't by her side. Especially with all the new people around, whom she did not trust.

"Cameron!" A voice called to her as the sounds of footsteps became louder and louder.

She turned around, only to see Amy rush up to her, visibly out of breath. "Yes?"

"Can I speak to you for a moment?" Amy asked.

"I don't know. Can you?" Cameron tilted her head to the right.

"Okay, smart ass." Amy chuckled. The two began to walk, where the two were silent for several minutes. "So, I been trying to wrap my head around the whole incident on the interstate."

Cameron's eyes widened slightly. With all that has been going on lately, she hadn't had time to run an analysis on Amy's threat level, considering she had saw her incredible feat of strength when she had destroyed that Walker's skull.

"How did you do that?" Amy asked curiously. "I don't think I ever saw someone do what you just did."

 _I should terminate her. She knows too much, and is therefore a threat._

Cameron slowly, but frantically studied her surroundings, finding that Rick and Hershel had just returned from their trek through the forest, and the rest the group gathered back at camp.

 _It's too risky to terminate Amy. Maybe I should lead her out into the woods, and deal with-_

"Hello, earth to Cameron?" Amy waved her hand in Cameron's face. "Are you going to give me an answer?"

"The Roamer's head was softer than a normal human head. It was easy to crush." Cameron monotoned.

"But look at you, your arms practically look like noodles!" Amy exclaimed. "I don't even think Shane could do that!"

Cameron was about to speak again, when she was suddenly interrupted.

"Cameron, got a second?" Another voice called out from behind her. She turned around to see who's voice it was.

It was none other than Rick Grimes.

"Okay, fine, I'll just talk to you later then." Amy mumbled in a frustrated tone and stomped away.

 _I guess I'll have to terminate her later._

"I need to know something about you and your group," Rick mentioned sternly. "It's about your friend: John."

"What about him?" Cameron tilted her head in an innocent manner. She slowly reached behind her back for her gun, only to find that it wasn't where it was supposed to be.

"I want to get one thing clear about the both of you," Rick began. "I'm not an idiot, I know who you are. With the way things are now, I can see past that."

"What do you mean?" Cameron inquired. _If he knows what I am, then I have no choice but to terminate both him and Amy._

"Have you been listening to what I'm saying?" Rick sneered. "Just because of your pasts, I'm not going to hold it against you. I just want to be clear that if you or John tend to harm anyone-"

"-You'll kill us." Cameron finished blankly.

"I don't kill." Rick shook his head in disagreement. "But that won't stop me from telling everyone the truth about you two. If they find out, they won't want anything to do with two terrorists. We'll have no choice but to exile you." With that said, Rick walked away from Cameron, not allowing her a chance to speak.

Life was about to get even more complicated.

•••

Later that night, Everyone had turned in. It had been a long day for everyone. Now it was time to rest for the coming days ahead.

Owen, John, and Cameron shared one tent while everyone else slept in theirs. Owen snore loudly while he slept, which caused John some trouble from getting any shut eye.

John turned in his sleeping bag, to see Cameron sitting on a stool, peering out the small window of the large tent.

"You should be resting." Cameron spoke blankly, not turning to speak.

"I would love to, but Owen is seeing to it that I don't." John chuckled. "Plus, with Savannah missing, it's even harder. She's probably out there somewhere right now, freezing and starving."

"She's most likely dead." Cameron replied coldly.

"Why do you say that?" John asked.

"This world is full of death nowadays. I'm only pointing out the facts." Cameron answered.

"No, why did you say it like that." John said venomously. "I know it's a very slim chance that she's alive, but we have to at least give Ellison some hope that we will find her."

It was silent for a long time, with Cameron still facing away from John. He was still waiting for his answer.

"You should get some sleep." Cameron repeated with a monotone.

"Cameron!" John snapped quietly at the cyborg. "There is something on your mind isn't there."

Again, silence, but he did get a nod in response.

"Then tell me what's going on." John then sat up and continued to glare at Cameron's backside.

Cameron hesitantly turned to face him. Her face was expressionless as she stared at John. "Rick knows who you are."

John's eyes widened in surprise at the revelation. "W-what?" He stuttered. He wasn't sure if that was what he heard Cameron say.

"Rick knows your secret." Cameron repeated. "He used blackmail on me to use against you."

"He blackmailed you." John mused as he brushed his hair backwards with his fingers. "What did he say?"

"He's a threat." Cameron said. "I should terminate him."

"No, you're not." John pointed out. "What did he say to you?" He repeated the question once more.

"He said, that if we hurt any of his group, that he'll exile us." Cameron explained.

John couldn't believe what he was hearing. The leader: Rick, knew who he was before all of this. Even with the world gone, John still couldn't escape his past. What was even worse was that Rick was now threatening him and Cameron because of after everything they did to try and save the world from global annihilation.

"What do we do?" Cameron asked with the tilt of her head.

"Killing Rick, or anyone else would just prove his point about us." John explained simply. "We need to prove to him and the rest of this group that we are no threat to them. We need to prove to them that we are far more than what we were branded as, by the entire world."

"You expect us to stay around that long?" Cameron inquired confusingly. She had never got the chance to ask why they had stuck around with Alex's group. It seemed like that this was their only refuge for the time being.

"I know how you feel about this, but it seems like the only way for us to survive now. We need allies. We need to trust everyone here and we need for everyone to gain trust in us." John continued to explain to Cameron. He knew if he didn't, she would surely take matters into her own hands. Even if she was different, Cameron was still capable of killing everyone here if deemed necessary.

•••

 **Author's Note: This chapter was a little bit all over the place, I know. Believe it or not, it's very difficult to keep up with all of these characters.**

 **I'll do my best to give each and every character a chance to have some appearances and meaning to the story as it goes on, while keeping our TSCC characters in the spotlight as much as possible. It is after all a crossover so it would make sense to have our Walking Dead characters interact more with them, and watch them grow their relationships more.**

 **Reviews are appreciated!**


	5. Chapter 5: Problems

**The Walking Dead: Termination Season 2**

 **Chapter 5: Problems**

 _ **Georgia, June 22, 2011: (Greene Farmhouse)**_

 _As a child, I cherished the days when my mother would read me The Wizard of Oz before bedtime. The story always spoke to me. Gave me a message about what my future was to become. It gave meaning to each and every character about their true selves. It gave them a personality._

 _But then, there was the Sherlock Holmes stories that I would also read many years later. It intrigued me to read about this man, who would solve the most ridiculous mysteries. The way Holmes used his detective skills to find each clue- each part of the puzzle, until eventually, he found the killer._

John was currently strolling down from the farmhouse, and back to camp that was located not too far away. It was a beautiful afternoon, with no wind, and the sun was shining just barely above the treeline.

Lori and Carol suggested that they thank Hershel and his people by making them dinner tonight. It seemed like it was the least that they could do, considering they had saved Carl, and gave them refuge for the time being.

They had also gave John the task of spreading the word, which he wasn't too keen on doing, but hey, it was a free meal, so he was happy to give the invitation.

"Boo!" Someone shouted from behind him.

"Jesus Christ!" John jumped frighteningly at the sound and quickly turned around. The person who was standing behind him didn't surprise him at all. It was Alex.

"Ha, scared you!" Alex smiled mischievously.

"You have a strange sense of humor, you know that?" John sighed in a frustrated tone. He now had goosebumps that raced through his whole body because of being spooked by Alex.

"Aw, guess the leader of mankind can't take a joke." Alex now pouted and punched him in the punch stinged badly, but John did his best to hide his pain. "Anyway, where's Cameron at?" She then changed the subject. "Doesn't she always follow you around?"

"She's out with Ellison, looking for Savannah." John answered. "Shouldn't you be out there too still?"

"Me and Owen finished hours ago." Alex replied. "I gotta say, he's pretty funny sometimes."

"Why don't you get a room while you're at it?" John muttered as he walked away. Alex followed him all the way to the camp like how Cameron would.

"So, what's going on?" Alex inquired.

"Well, Lori and Carol are making Hershel and his family dinner tonight." John answered. "And they gave _me_ the task of inviting everyone."

Alex smirked, trying to hold back any laughter. "You know, if there's food, I'm in."

"Figured." John chuckled.

The two marched into the campsite were Dale was seen relaxing on a lawn chair, and Amy fiddling with two sticks. Amy just gave Alex a glare before turning her attention back to the wooden sticks. Alex noticed, and only growled angrily.

 _I've done more for her than she'll ever realize, and she still acts like a child! When will she stop blaming me for Andrea's death?_ Alex angrily wondered.

"So, dinner tonight at Hershel's. Anyone interested?" John asked, getting straight to business. Dale only chuckled at John's proposal and got up off his chair.

"That's not how you get the word out." Dale said in a calm tone. "Try and say: There's dinner tonight, do you want to join us?"

 _So this is who Alex warned me about._ "Okay? So, there's dinner tonight, do you want to join us?" John repeated the man's words.

"I would be delighted." Dale smiled. He then turned his attention to Amy who was still sitting in her original position. "I think Amy would like to join to, would she?" He hinted.

John just sighed audibly. Amy was a bit of a hothead at times, and could definitely hold a grudge. "Amy, would you like to join us for dinner tonight?" He asked unenthusiastically.

"Sure." She simply nodded, not looking up from her bundle of sticks.

 _What is she doing anyway?_ John wondered.

John and Alex walk away from Dale and Amy, to where the RV was located. Inside, John could see that Glenn, Owen and Morales were inside and T-dog on sitting on a chair under the sunshade.

On top of the RV, Jimmy: the guy who had shot Carl was on top with his hunting rifle in hand, and scanned the horizon.

"He said that he wanted to do his part." T-dog answered John's unspoken question. "He wanted to make up for his mistakes."

"I see." John mused and got straight to point again. "Anyway, At Hershel's, they are making dinner. Do you want to join us?"

T-dog chuckled. "If it gets me out of squirrel and canned corn, then I'm down."

"Alright, can you do me a favor and tell everyone else inside?" John asked. T-dog nodded which gave John some relief. _It would be easier to have more people spread the word._ John heard footsteps on coming up from behind him and Alex, and they both turned around to see Rick and Shane waltz through camp. They had just returned from their search empty handed. _Maybe Cam, and Ellison will have better luck perhaps?_

"Rick." John waved the man down. Rick stopped in his tracks and turned around to face John. For the last two days, he had given up his ol' sheriff's uniform and had dawned a more simple attire of clothes.

But that still didn't change Rick's viewpoint on him. John could read him like a book. He could tell that Rick didn't like him one bit and barley even trusted him or Cameron. He needed to change his view on them somehow.

"What?" Rick simply asked.

"Tonight, your wife is making dinner for Hershel and his family. I suspect your coming?" John sarcastically asked.

"Yeah, I'm coming-" Rick sighed annoyingly. But before he could finish his answer, Jimmy who was on the roof of the RV had stood up and shouted loudly.

"Walker!" Jimmy loudly informed.

Rick bolted into action and ran up to the RV. "How many!?"

"Just the one!" Jimmy responded. "I think I can take it from here!" He then said and went prone on and rose his rifle.

"No!" Rick barked. "We will handle this!" He, Alex, John and Shane grabbed any blunt melee weapon that was nearby and rushed out into the far end of the field.

Jimmy looked through his binoculars once more, but he couldn't really make anything out. The sun was glaring too brightly into the lens, which restricted his view.

Jimmy could see that Rick and the rest of everyone who had followed, had already closed the distance to the Walker and Rick had his Python drawn. But he didn't fire. Was he hesitating? The Walker didn't even seem to move whatsoever. Something so violent, just stood still as a statue.

 _Screw it._ Jimmy went prone once again and rose his rifle. He peered through the scope, but the sun was still glaring through the lens. He still couldn't make out where the head area was, so he just made an educated guess.

Jimmy took aim with his hunting rifle, and steadily held his breath, careful to not make too much movements. He then gently squeezed the trigger-

"What the hell are you doing!?" Dale shouted at Jimmy. But it was too late. The gun had went off, with a loud bang echoing through the area.

•••

Cameron and Ellison had just returned from their search, and we're entering from behind the farmhouse. Cameron had agreed to keep searching for a couple more hours, just to give the agent some hope in finding Savannah.

"I'm sorry." Cameron spoke up after remaining silent for a majority of the time.

"Thanks." Ellison muttered. He was still too focused on Savannahs safety. "I know you think that we won't find her." He then said.

"Do you see my reason?" Cameron asked.

"Yes and no." Ellison replied. "I see why you think she's dead. The dead have come back to life to eat us humans. But I still have faith that she's still alive."

"Your reasoning is illogical. But if it motivates you, then-"

Cameron is stopped from completing her sentence when the sounds of a single gunshot could be heard from not too far away. Immediately, both her and Ellison bolted down the trail and around the farmhouse to find everyone walking at a fast pace towards them. Both John and Rick had a badly wounded Daryl slung around their shoulders for support as they led him into the house.

"What happened?" Cameron asked, referring to Daryl. She didn't care much for the man, but she was still curious nonetheless.

"Jim over here decided to take matters into his own hands again." Shane said angrily. "First Carl, and now Daryl!?" He then snarled and got into the young man's face.

"Shane, ease off!" Alex placed her right hand on his shoulder and pulled him away.

"When are you ever gonna quit man?" Shane persisted, brushing off Alex's hand. "How long till you accidentally kill every single one of us?"

"Will you just calm down!" Maggie spoke in Jimmy's defense. "His actions are uncalled for, but that doesn't give you the right to accuse him for intentionally hurting your people!"

Shane just scoffed at Maggie's remark and walked off back to camp, rubbing his head vigorously. Maggie grabbed Jimmy's rifle and stormed inside.

He knew that he messed up. But that didn't make up for almost killing Daryl.

Jimmy also walked off, but in the opposite direction from Shane. As he did, Cameron glared at him with intent, as her face remained expressionless.

•••

Hours went by as everyone stood around the living room in anticipation. Luckily, Daryl was okay. He just had a graze on the left side of his head that would heal within a week or two. But that's not why they were gathered there in first place. They had to discuss something very important. Jimmy.

"I wonder why you even give him a gun in the first place." Shane opinionatedly stated. "He lacks the self control, the discipline."

"Shane!" Rick warned. "Hershel, with all due respect, it's not safe for him to carry that rifle anymore. Even if he had training; Shane's right. He lacks self control. We told him specifically not to shoot, yet he did."

Hershel sighed heavily. "I understand."

"Then it's settled. We have no choice but to confiscate his weapon." Rick said. Ever since the camp back in Atlanta, everyone began to look up to him now. He didn't know why, and he sure as hell didn't want to have all of these people's lives placed in his hands. But he had no choice. He had to start making the calls.

"Dinner will be ready in an hour." Clem informed timidly from the doorway. She didn't seem very sociable.

Everyone walked out of the living room, and back outside, to get ready for tonight's dinner. John just shared a short gaze at Cameron before he also walked outside.

"Do you want to help peel potatoes?" Clem awkwardly asked.

"Yes." Cameron simply agreed and followed the little girl into the kitchen. _Maybe they are making pancakes like how Sarah used to?_

 _ **Next Morning:**_

The next morning, Beth walked upstairs, to Jimmy's room. Since last night's incident, he hadn't come out of his room. Even for last evening's dinner, he had skipped and sulked about the mistakes he had made.

 _Knock, knock, knock._ "Jimmy? It's Beth." She acknowledged through the door. But it was silent. "Come on, open the door, I brought you some breakfast."

Again, no response.

Beth balanced the tray, that she was holding, on her knee and used her free hand to open the door. The door creaked open and she entered inside, seeing Jimmy laid down on his bed, with his back facing her.

"I know, you're still upset about getting your gun taken away, but it's not the end of the world." Beth reassuringly spoke as she placed the tray on the nightstand next to the bed. But Jimmy still didn't respond. "Jimmy."

Still no response.

"Okay, I'm done being ignored!" Beth angrily sneered and rounded the bedside. "Jimmy, answer me!" She then shook his shoulder violently.

Jimmy's voice rasped very quietly as his eyes slowly opened. But they were no longer the dark green that they once were. Instead, they were a pale hazy color.

Jimmy growled loudly and grabbed Beth by the hair and arm, and began to pull her close, causing her to scream in horror.

Lori, who was in the next room with Carl, bolted in with a pocket knife in hand as saw the sight that beheld her. The young blonde was struggling to escape the clutches of a deranged Jimmy who kept on trying to take a bite out of her. Lori knew what he now was:

He was a Walker.

Lori rushed to the bed where Jimmy was located and pulled her switchblade open. In one quick fluid motion, with all of her strength, she had thrusted the blade deep onto the back of Jimmy's head, killing him instantly.

Beth had fallen to the ground, and began to cry loudly, as Hershel, Maggie, and Clem came running in. He observed the surroundings and saw Jimmy's lifeless body lay on the bed, with a very noticeable blood splatter that could be seen on the sheets.

But Hershel didn't care too much for that at the moment. He only cared for his daughter. He knelt down beside her and engulfed her into a tight reassuring hug.

Lori was stunned. She had never killed a Walker before. Everything had happened so fast that she had to take matters into her own hands to actually save someone.

•••

Another hour went by, as both Shane and Rick were now inside the room, with Lori, Hershel, and Maggie.

Shane and Rick studied the body of Jimmy meticulously. They were no strangers to the type of work, considering they were part of the police force before the end of the world happened.

But they were searching for something specific. A bite. Even a scratch if anything at all. They searched every visible place on his body but came up blank. There was nothing.

"How is this possible man?" Shane asked Rick. "There's no bite. No scratches."

"I don't know." Rick truthfully admitted. He too didn't know how this happened.

"How's that possible?" Lori inquired. "Isn't getting bit is what makes you turn into one?"

"That's what they say." Shane responded with a sigh. Then he noticed something particular. Shane pulled down the neck collar of Jimmy's shirt and saw that he had bruises around his neck. "Rick." He motioned him over.

Both him and Rick study the strange markings. They could tell that there were signs of a struggle that ensued here. "That's what they say." He repeated. Rick immediately stood up and began to walk out of the room, as he drew his Python.

Lori noticed the look of anger written on her husbands face and began to give chance, fearing that he might do something rash. She luckily caught him down the hall, already near the stairwell.

"What the hell are you doing?" Lori asked.

"Something that needs to be dealt with." Rick said with determination and continued to walk down the stairs.

"Rick, stop!" Lori shouted, finally getting his attention. "Tell me what's going on. Better yet, tell me what's going on, that you actually have to draw your gun?" She persisted.

Rick looked down at his weapon, and then back at his wife. He put shook his head and put the Python back in the holster. "Someone killed that boy in there... and I think I know who it is."

"Who?" Lori inquired in curiosity. "Alex?"

Rick shook his head in disagreement. "She can be unpredictable sometimes, but I doubt she'd do something like this."

"Rick." Shane spoke around he stood next to Lori. "There's something I have to tell you man."

"Can this wait?" Rick asked annoyingly.

"No, this can't." Shane sneered. "Just hear me out." Rick sighed, but gave Shane his full undivided attention. "There was no bites on Jimmy, no scratches, no nothing except that he was choked to death."

"What are you saying?" Lori inquired confusingly.

"What I'm saying, is that…" Shane hesitated. He wasn't sure if he was ready to believe it either. "I'm saying that… we could all be infected. Maybe it's airborne, I don't know."

Both Lori and Rick's eyes widened in surprise. "What makes you say that?" Lori asked.

"If you lay all the facts on the table, then it's pretty damn clear that it's the most likely scenario." Shane acknowledged. "How could he have turned if he wasn't bitten? How?"

Rick wasn't sure if he could just accept the new theory yet. How could someone accept that they carried the very thing that broke this world, inside of them? "If what you're saying is true, then we have to be sure."

"What do you suggest?" Lori asked, fearing the worst.

"We can't just test this out Rick." Shane argued. "What if I'm wrong?"

"I don't know!" Rick said in a frustrated tone. So far they were getting nowhere with this theory. "We can't focus too much on this right now, we have a killer on the loose!"

"Who would do something like this? If there's a murderer going around camp, then we have to something." Lori stated.

"And we will." Rick reassured his wife. "But for now, this stays between us." He then ordered the two. "If this gets out, then chances are that the killer will just escape."

Shane and Lori simply nod in agreement. "I'll talk to Hershel, try to reassure him that we are on it." With that, Shane walked off, leaving Rick and Lori near the staircase.

Lori noticed the features on her husbands face harden considerably. "What are you thinking?" She asked.

"I'm thinking, that I'm gonna be having a little chat with everyone today, about where they were." Rick explained. He turned around and continued to walk down the staircase again, before Lori spoke again.

"Honey, make sure you find the son of bitch who did this." Rick smirked and turned on his heels again, and walked away.

•••

Rick walked out of the house and down the tail, back to camp. Mostly everyone was still oblivious to what had happened inside the house and he wanted to keep it that way. For now anyway.

At the camp, he could see Morales, Dale, and Glenn, chatting around the depleted campfire, from the night before, and Owen, and Alex talking inside of one of the open tents. Rick first talked with everyone at camp, just to get their alibis in order. Everyone, including Alex and Owen were clear. Rick didn't even believe they were responsible anyway, so he dismissed them immediately. Alex may be a lot of things, but she was no killer.

Rick scanned his surroundings, until he eventually saw John and Cameron near the stables.

Cameron was petting a brown and white horse, while John was smiling brightly. He could have been fooled that John Connor was just an average guy who was just trying to hold onto his humanity. But Rick wasn't about to dismiss the possibility just yet.

Rick marched into the stables and up to the two. "Morning," He greeted with a fake smile.

"Morning." John returned the gesture and turned back to look at Cameron.

"What are you two up to?" Rick then asked.

"Nothing much," John shrugged. "Just doing our part and helping Hershel out with the horses."

"I can see that." Rick responded. Several seconds went by, where Rick and John observed Cameron feed one of the horses. Rick then decided to speak up. "Where were you last night?" He asked John.

"Where was I?" John mused confusingly. "I was in my tent."

"And how do I know for sure?" Rick questioned.

John scoffed, "Are saying, you don't believe me?" He inquired.

"Last night, Someone was murdered," Rick said. "Jimmy was found dead in his room."

John didn't seem to have an authentic reaction to this revelation. Years of everyone dying for you tended to do just that. Death no longer surprised you once it's happened to much, it becomes accustomed to you now.

"John was with me and Owen." Cameron said from behind John. "He didn't do it, if that's what you are thinking."

"See, I have someone who can vouch for me." John said with a smirk and crossed his arms.

"Yeah? How do I know you're _girlfriend_ here isn't just protecting you?" Rick countered sarcastically.

"You don't know me," John gritted his teeth. "You don't know what i've been through! Just because someone is dead, you assume it's me, and for what? My past?"

"You're a terrorist!" Rick snarled and he slammed his fist against one of the wooden support beams. "Your mother killed a scientist years ago, and you think you've been through a lot?"

"My mother wasn't a killer." Now, John got closer to Rick's face, with an angry expression engraved on his face.

"Oh yeah, I forgot," Rick scoffed. "The scary robots made her do it." John had enough of this sarcasm that was coming from the last man he'd ever expect it from, and swung his fist at the man's face in complete rage.

Rick backed away just in time, to avoid John's attack, and gave him a good kick in the stomach, causing John to fall backwards, where John's breath was knocked out. Rick then drew his weapon and aimed it at John while pulling the hammer back with his thumb.

"Now you try to attack me? Huh?"

Cameron was about to intervene, until everyone who was at camp, across from the stables, saw and heard Rick's and John's argument. They came rushing to their location with concern, where they were met with startled horses, and a very angry Rick Grimes.

"What's going on here?" Dale inquired confusingly. Even though he knew Rick for only a few weeks now, he had never seen him angry before.

"None of your concern." Rick hissed and turned his attention back to John and Cameron.

"What I think is; if you're yelling at these two for a reason that we don't know yet, then it is our concern." Dale glared at Rick. "You've already got the whole group here, so you've peaked our curiosity."

Rick clenched the grip on his Python Revolver tightly. Even though Dale was a nice, wise old man, that meant well, it still didn't hide the fact that he could be too pushy and annoying at times.

Rick took a deep breath and closed his eyes. After regaining his composure, he looked back at the group with a now calm collected manner. "Last night, Jimmy was murdered." He revealed to the entire group.

 _So much for keeping it secret, Rick thought to himself._

Everyone was shocked to hear this revelation. Carol hugged her daughter tightly while Glenn was pacing back and forth. He wasn't very good at coping with anxiety.

"What makes you think that these two have anything to do with it?" Objected Owen.

"I don't know." Rick mused, and turned to face John, with a knowing expression.

Cameron had helped him back up, where he dusted himself off and grabbed his stomach. John could tell that by the tone of Rick's voice and the long pause that he was about to reveal something to everyone, and he had a good assumption of what it was.

"So, John, would you rather tell them yourself?" Rick gestured his hand at John. "Or would you rather have me tell them?"

John glared daggers at Rick. He was furious that he was being put in a position where he would have to reveal who he was to everyone. How would they react? Would they even react at all? Or would they just attempt to kill him on the spot?

John glanced behind him, and saw Cameron in a stiff pose. He could tell that she was ready to attack, even without a weapon. John put his arm in front of her, implying that it was alright.

With a final decision made, John turned his attention back to the group. "My name… is John Connor," he revealed. The group began to chatter amongst each other until John spoke once more. "My mother: Sarah Connor, was known to many, as a terrorist. She still was up until her death."

Carol moved her daughter behind her in an of protection, as Owen looked at John with his jaw dropped. Dale was perplexed among imaginable, and Alex slapped her forehead in defeat. The whole group seemed to change from a friendly and protecting bunch, to a group who feared and hated him.

"But I didn't murder Jimmy-" John protested. But he was cut short when Rick had pulled his arms behind him and put handcuffs around his wrists. "I didn't do it!" John repeated, but Rick just ignored his pleas and shoved him out of the stables and back to the camp. "Let go of me!"

Cameron went into full terminator mode, when she saw John's distress and began to stalk up to Rick, with her her right hand clenching tightly. She had enough.

It took Alex to stop her from continuing, when she had jumped right in front of the young cyborg and held her back.

"Let me go Alex!" Cameron said in a blank tone.

"Think about this Cam!" Alex whispered sternly. "You kill Rick, or anyone else, and we lose everything!"

"John didn't do it, I was with him all night." Cameron said hastily. Over Alex's shoulder, she could see John being thrown into the RV by Rick. "Please let me go." She persisted, and tried to push away Alex. Luckily, Alex was around the same strength level as Cameron, so that made her a perfect contestant to keep her in place.

Alex was now very confused. Firstly, she expected Cameron to put up more of a fight. Then secondly, Cameron's voice actually broke when she had begged her to let her go.

"We'll figure this out," Alex reassured and unexpectedly gave Cameron a tight hug. Even more confusion rang throughout Alex as she felt Cameron latch onto her tightly. "We'll figure this out." She repeated in a whisper to herself.

•••

The sun was already setting, as darkness began to fall upon the entire farm. John was in Dale's RV, in the back room, where the bed was located, and was handcuffed to the railing. John didn't know what to think. He knew that Rick was a cop, but he didn't expect to be framed, let alone framed for murder.

 _Knock, knock, knock, knock._

The small door slid open, and Cameron came walking in with a tray of food in her hands.

"Hey." John smiled. It was the first friendly face he had seen in hours.

"Are you hurt?" Cameron asked concerned.

"Other than these cuffs being too tight, yeah. At least as well as a prisoner could be under such circumstances." John chuckled. "How'd you get in here anyway?" John asked confused. Last he knew, Rick had put Glenn and T-dog on guard duty outside the RV.

"I asked Glenn to go get some napkins from inside the house." Cameron simply explained.

John simply nodded and stirred in his handcuffs uncomfortably.

"Rick was too rough with you." Cameron stated and set the tray in front of him. "We should have heeded his threat level and terminated him."

"And do what afterwards?" John inquired. "Act like nothing happened? There would be two bodies linked to us then, because they clearly framed me for this one," He pointed at his handcuffed wrist.

Cameron's eyes shifted downwards before they shot back up.

John took immediate notice and knew that it was the time to ask a certain question. "Cameron. Where were you last night?"

"He was a threat to everyone in the camp, including you." Said Cameron. "I couldn't let his destructiveness, and carelessness... harm you."

There was a pause in her sentence which confused John. He didn't know which he should be more concerned about. Her act of mindless killing, or that pause. Cameron would always complete a sentence without error. It was one of those simple machine logics that made her who she was.

"I'm sorry John," Cameron spoke again, while looking at her hands. "I only did it to protect you."

John shifted on the bed and patted the side, giving Cameron the invitation to sit. She accepted, but didn't look at John.

"I want you to tell me what happened." John said in a soft tone. He would be lying if he said he wasn't mad, but he had to learn to be patient with Cameron. "Tell me everything."

Cameron looked back at John with a sad look on her face. She hesitantly nodded and began to explain: "After Daryl was shot, and after the dinner was over, I snuck back to the house. I was careful not to tread on any loose floorboards so I wouldn't make a sound. Once, I was in his room, I was going to kill him right then and there."

Cameron paused and gazed back down at her hands once again, almost as if they were stained with blood that she couldn't wash off.

"I couldn't do it." Cameron murmured. "I… hesitated."

"What do you mean, _you hesitated?_ " John inquired.

"He woke up before I could act," Cameron continued, while still staring at her dainty hands. "I didn't know what else to do so I tried to keep him quiet, but I-" She said before she broke out with emotion, with her voice breaking once again.

John was in distraught. These were emotions that he never saw in Cameron before. There were only ever two incidents where she had shed tears. One was when she tried to lower his guard so she could kill him, and the second was she lost her identity. Who she was. John knew that this wasn't any of those. This was something completely different.

"Cameron, did you…" _How do I word this? How do I explain this in a way that she could make sense of?_ "Did you… feel guilt?"

"I don't know." Cameron whispered. "What is guilt to you?"

"Guilt is when you feel remorse for your actions." John explained in the best way possible. "It's, when your conscience weighs the good and the bad you've done. Sometimes, it's a positive thing and sometimes, it's a negative thing."

"Like sympathy?" Cameron inquired.

"Not really," John shook his head. "The best way I could describe it is; you feel sad for doing something that is bad. It's something that sticks with you forever until you can find closure and feel a sense of freedom afterwards."

"Thank you for explaining." Cameron said sadly. "It's my fault that you are in here."

"Don't beat yourself up Cam." John put his hand on her shoulder. He didn't have much ability to give her a hug at the moment since he was restricted by the cuffs. "We'll find a way through this."

"Is there anyway I can help?" Alex spoke up. John and Cameron look up to see Alex leaning against the door frame with her arms crossed. John couldn't help smiling. Maybe it was the fact that the rest of the group was terrible at keeping guard, or the fact that he had help from the two people who he cared dearly for.

Even with the way things were now; The dead rising, John's mother's death, and now being wrongfully imprisoned, he always had family there for him. Ones not by blood, but by metal and heart. Family that would sacrifice everything for him.

 _When I was a child, my mother didn't just read me The Wizard of Oz, but she also read me Sherlock Holmes. Where The Wizard of Oz gave me a better a outlook on my destiny, Sherlock Holmes gave me a sense of reality._

 _People wear masks. They can hide what and who you truly are. When they come off, they can reveal an entirely different person. Sometimes it's bad, and sometimes, it's the good that erupts from the depths of ourselves, for even the most unlikely can be more human than you'd ever know._

•••

 **Very dramatic chapter indeed. This just goes to show that not everyone is all best friends in this group, as some even develop a hate relationship towards one another.**

 **The ending monologue was partially copied from TSCC Season 1, episode 7, (I think) and it plays a major part in the true identity of these characters and who they are thought to be.**

 **Some of you might be thinking: why would Rick act so sour towards John, or why would he even aim his gun at John in the first place after the sudden attack? Throughout the show, Rick never hated anyone, so it's hard to tell how he would react out of hatred, instead of protectiveness for his people.**

 **It's probably a good thing that he did aim his Python at John, because if not, Cameron would have surely intervened and probably killed him on the spot. So, long story short, Rick was lucky to react out of anger. It surely saved his life.**

 **Too bad that John is being locked up due to a mistake that Cameron made. This shows that she is starting to change drastically from a mindless machine when she "accidentally" killed Jimmy. She felt both guilt, and what it feels like to make a mistake, that will have dire consequences. Cameron is now on the path to becoming something more.**

 **Now we have to see how Alex and Cameron will prove John's innocence, but at what cost exactly?**

 **I'm really hoping that I'm doing a better job with this season as compared to the last one. It was a mess that was too rushed, and lacked character development.**

 **Anyway, please leave a review. Constructive criticism is gladly appreciated. I want to make this series one of the best crossovers that it can be, so with your (The reader's) help, we can all make this a great story together!**


	6. Chapter 6: Down to Business

**The Walking Dead: Termination Season 2**

 **Chapter 6: Down to Business**

 _ **Georgia, June 23, 2011: (Greene Farm)**_

 _Why do people have opinions? It never occured to me as why they do. Opinions are what separates everyone from being united. Opinions are what led to my creation. Even with a world so torn apart by unknown circumstances, humans still have opinions about each other. About themselves._

 _It's what's leading to their extinction._

It was a very quiet morning at camp. Everyone just sat around the campfire eating their breakfast meal silently, preferring not to speak to one another. Yesterday had everyone still on edge. They didn't know what to think about John Connor. Most of everyone didn't seem to actually know who he was, which was at least somewhat beneficial. The less they knew, the better. But those who did know John, either hated or feared him.

With John still locked up in the RV, Cameron had taken to sitting with Alex and Ellison for breakfast. Alex would occasionally pass some jerky to Cameron, implying that she eat it to not look suspicious.

"How's John doing?" Ellison whispered over to Alex.

It wasn't a great time to be talking about John, but Alex gave him a reassuring response and went back to her breakfast. Ellison knew it was a sore subject to be bringing up, so just left it at that.

Cameron had her eyes glued on the RV, where she just stared at it without moving or blinking.

"Here," Alex shoved a piece of the dried unknown meat into Cameron's face. She took her gaze off of the RV and looked back at Alex who had a was smiling sadly at her. "You should eat."

"No," Cameron stated blankly. "You need it more than me."

"Honey," Lori spoke up from across them. "You already rejected your meal, at least eat something." She ordered in a concerned tone of voice.

Cameron reluctantly took the piece of jerky from Alex and took a small bite from it. She then redirected her attention back to the RV, and continued to stare at once more.

Then suddenly, the door to the RV opened, with Rick Grimes and Shane Walsh walking out and John in tow. His wrists were bound with duct tape, instead of the handcuffs that were originally used.

Cameron didn't like seeing John bound up like some animal. She stood up and looked at John with permission to follow, but he just shook his head and turned his attention back to where he was walking. Cameron's eyes kept following John, until eventually, he along with Rick and Shane, disappeared in the storage shed next to the barn.

"I can't believe he'd do something like this." Morales sighed as he put down his plate. "Guess this world really does change you."

Cameron sat back down in her chair and started to look into the embers from the night before.

•••

Rick, and Shane stood inside the storage shed that was located near the barn. Shane was knelt down, restraining John onto a hook that was on the wall. Once done, Shane stood up and admired his handy work.

"So, you got me in this shit hole now," John muttered as he looked up at the two men. "What do you plan on doing with me?"

"Shut up." Rick sneered.

"You brought this on yourself man," Shane rubbed the back of his head. "We're gonna keep you here till we know exactly what to do with you, so shut your damn mouth and listen."

John rolled his eyes, but gave the two his full undivided attention.

"If you break out of here, then we'll kill you." Shane began. "You go near, or so much as touch any of our people, we will kill you."

"That's a bad idea. To kill me that is." John mumbled. Shane responded with kicking John in the thigh which made him flinch in pain.

"Shut the hell up man." Shane spat. "You don't get it do you? You killed a man, and you expect to be treated like this is the holiday inn?"

"You're staying here till we all come up with an agreement on what to do with you." Rick continued. "Maybe some time in here will give you some insight on your actions."

Shane and Rick turn and leave the shed, with John being engulfed in darkness. The only light source he had, was the small rays of sunlight that leaked through the roof of the small structure.

Meanwhile outside, Rick and Shane stood several feet away from the shed and began to chat with each other.

"What do you think?" Shane asked Rick.

"I don't know, we have no evidence to back him up, so he's a threat to the entire group right now." Rick shrugged.

"What is the reason for him doing this?" Shane inquired. "I mean, he wouldn't be doing it to defend Daryl, right?"

"People like him are the same. They sometimes don't have motives behind their actions." Rick explained. Before the world ended, he could remember each and every criminal that he apprehended. Each one would plead innocent, but sooner or later, they would just repeat what they did. Rick wouldn't have that whatsoever.

"Guess we got our hands full eh?" Shane chuckled and glanced at the shed. "You think that thing will hold him?" He then asked.

"He ain't moving, I'll see to it that he doesn't." Rick reassured simply. "Speaking of which, shouldn't you be taking everyone out for gun training today?"

"You're right." Shane nodded. "Guess it'll do them some good to keep their minds off this whole mess."

Rick randomly looked out to the farmhouse and saw Hershel standing on the porch with a blank expression engraved on his face. Just from the short time that he knew Hershel, Rick knew exactly what that look meant and it wasn't good.

"You go ahead without me, I have some business that I need to attend to." With Shane's orders given, Rick walked away from the shed and strolled to the farmhouse, until he came up to the porch where Hershel was standing on.

"You put the boy in my shed." Hershel pointed out unhappily. "You should've asked before using my property as a holding cell."

"I was actually just going to talk to you about that-"

"Look, I don't want to hear any of it." Hershel cut him off. "If it weren't for your people, then Jimmy wouldn't have been killed. He was a stubborn young man, but he wasn't evil either."

"I'm handling it," argued Rick in a livid tone.

"This won't happen again when you find that missing girl and your boy is ready to travel." Hershel said.

"What are you saying?" Rick inquired confusingly.

"What I'm saying Rick, is that after this whole fiasco, I want you off my property!" Hershel spat angrily. "Right now, my daughters are burying their friend," He pointed out into the distance. "Because _you_ can't control your group!"

Rick didn't know what to say exactly to counter this. Arguing any further could just lead to their dysfunctional relationship to be more sour than it already was. With how contempt Hershel seemed at the moment, Rick knew that it wasn't the time to be pushing his buttons on the topic any further.

"I mean it," Hershel said sternly. "Off my land!" Hershel turned and walked back inside his house, with him slamming the door shut.

Rick stood in place, rubbing the temples of his head in frustration. The only safe haven that they have had since the camp back in Atlanta, and the owner wanted them gone. Rick didn't know whether he should be furious at that fact, or he should be desperate.

"Dad?" A voice came up from behind him. Rick turned to see Carl slowly walking towards him with Lori following close behind.

Ricks entire mood from his conversation with Hershel seemed to disappear almost immediately. he engulfed him in a hug, careful not to hurt him in any way.

"Carl! How're you holding up?" He asked his son with a bright smile.

"Still very sore, but I feel even better." Carl smiled back. "Guess we are one and the same, huh dad?"

"God, I sure hope not." Lori chuckled as she joined them. "Sweetie, can you give me and your father a moment?" The young boy nodded and walked away, towards camp, where Shane was located.

"How long has he been out of bed?" Rick asked astonished. Carl had been shot only days ago, and had made a remarkable recovery in that span of time. The fastest that anyone could have healed from such a wound.

"This morning he urged me to get out of bed, so I cleared it with Hershel." Lori explained. "I saw you and Hershel arguing about something," She then redirected the subject. "You mind telling me what all of that is about?"

Rick sighed, knowing that he couldn't keep it a secret from everyone. He already had one secret that was under wraps, so another one would just eat at him.

"Hershel wants us off his farm."

"W-what?" Lori stuttered in surprise. "Why? This is the only place that we can actually get away from it all, how can he just kick us off?" She said hastily.

"Don't worry, I'm going to continue to talk to him, we just need him to calm down on this whole thing we got going right now." Rick reassuringly put his hand on his wife's shoulder. "I'm doing it for you and Carl."

"We can't leave because I'm…" Lori started and suddenly stopped herself.

Rick took notice of this sudden halt in mid sentence and began to look at Lori with worry in his eyes. "You're what?"

Lori's eyes got distracted from her husbands and started to wonder out towards the RV where Alex was wearing Carl's hat and the two laughing.

"I'm pregnant." She finally spoke.

Rick backed away, with a confused and terrified look on his face. He was in distraught as he started pacing. Lori knew that he wasn't taking this news well.

Rick took a deep breath to calm himself down. After regaining his composure, he spoke again. "How long?" He murmured. "How long has this been going on?" Rick asked.

"A few weeks maybe?" Lori answered unsure. She wasn't exactly sure on how long it's been either.

"How do you not know?" Rick questioned.

"I haven't had my period."

"And you're sure about this?"

"Yes."

Without any warning, Rick turned and walked off, back to camp, without another word to his wife. Out of all the problems that he has on his plate, this one added to that stack.

 _In a world like this, is it smart to have another kid? With survival being of top priority at the moment?_ Rick didn't know whether this was good news or if it was bad news. One thing was for sure though. He needed to talk to Hershel about the matter. He needs him to understand that this world is cruel and is not one for a newborn. They need a safe place to raise another child if they were going to survive.

•••

"Are you sure you don't want to come along?" Alex asked. She and Cameron were inside her tent, while Cameron stood in place and Alex was grabbing some necessities for today's gun training.

"No." Cameron said stoically. "I already know how to shoot."

"That's not what I'm saying." Alex shook her head. "I'm saying that maybe it will do you some good to get your mind off everything that's happening right now." She explained.

"I'm not leaving John." Cameron persisted."

 _I almost forgot that it's almost impossible to talk to her._

"John's going to be okay, Cameron, I know Rick's being difficult right now, but I promise that I'll talk to him." Alex said with reassurance. "But if I'm going to get through to him, then I need you to behave. Killing anyone or throwing someone around won't help much but reveal who you are."

Cameron gave Alex a tilt of her head in response but returned it to its upright position and gazed out the small fabric mesh window of the tent. She could see Shane and Carl loading both Alex's and their bag of guns into Shane's new Hyundai Tucson.

"I have to go." Alex spoke as she slung her rucksack over her shoulders. "Promise me that when I return, Rick's arm won't be dangling from the RV's antenna." Cameron gave a simple nod and Alex turned to leave the tent. But before she fully exited, she turned back to look at the young machine. "Or anything else!" She ordered sternly.

Cameron observed as three of the vehicles left the property, and began driving down the dirt trail, until they disappeared behind the vegetation. With most of everyone gone, that only left Morales, Dale, Daryl, Glenn, Owen, and Hershel and his family.

Morales was currently guarding the shed, and Glenn stood on top of the RV with Dale's hunting rifle and binoculars in hand.

Today was going to be a boring day at the farm. Not that it affected Cameron in any way. She didn't get bored like how others did. Machines never felt that sense of boredom.

Only John concerned her.

Meanwhile in the field, Hershel was adjusting the fences to keep the cattle from escaping. With how the world was now, the last thing he wanted to worry about was his livestock running off and getting eaten by sick folk.

Dale walked from the roof of his RV to where Hershel was and removed his fishing cap.

"I'm sorry for Jimmy's death. He was young and didn't deserve any of it." Dale spoke.

"It wouldn't have happened if you people weren't here." Hershel huffed and went back to hammering wooden posts into the dirt.

"You can't honestly believe that it was all of us who were responsible." Dale argued in a calm manner.

"I didn't say that." Hershel corrected. "It's not all of you, it's the general idea that your people are capable of harming my people. That makes me want you gone even more."

"You're _afraid_ of us?" Dale rose his eyebrow in confusion.

"The world may be on its knees right now, but the way I see it, killing sick people is a sociopathic trait that I want no part of."

"Excuse me for saying this but much to your belief, these _people_ you speak of: Walkers they aren't _sick_. They are just dead reanimated corpses."

"My wife was sick, and the illness made her unwell. It made her violent but she wasn't dead." Hershel explained. "The sickness caused her to try and kill her son and I had to do what I had to do to end it!"

"You killed her." Dale clarified.

"I put her down mercifully. She would have killed my son if I didn't do anything."

"You should see my point on this matter now. Walkers are sadistic and dangerous."

"They are sick and not in the right state of mind. I don't expect you to see my view but if they are what you say they are, then my wife was nothing but a mindless corpse and I absolutely refuse to believe that."

"You're right." Dale muttered. "I don't. I'm sorry for wasting your time." With Hershel's mind still set on the group leaving, Dale walked away, back to the RV.

•••

 _ **Bang!**_

Throughout the forest, gunshots, glass breaking, and ricocheting metal were heard. In place of the gunshots, everyone was lined up, firing off the weapons that they had chosen.

Shane was pacing behind them, silently studying their posture, their aim, and their patience with the weapon. So far, they seemed to be naturals. But some had the habit of holding their weapons in ways that one shouldn't hold one, which Shane had immediately corrected.

"They seem okay so far." Alex mentioned as Shane strolled up to her. "What do you think?"

"They got the target practice down, but they don't know what it's like to have one of those things come at you." Shane opinionatedly stated.

"One step at a time, am I right?" Alex chuckled.

"So, I been meaning to ask you something." Shane nervously rubbed the back of his head.

"Okay? speak then." Alex crossed her arms, waiting for her question.

"Not here." Shane shook his head. "There's a place that I've been scouting on the map. It's an estate that's a few miles from here. I say me and you go check if Savannah might be there."

"Then you'll tell me what you wanted to say?" Alex tilted her head, and gave a smirk.

"Is it a deal?"

"Yeah, okay, it sounds good to me."

"Alright, after training here is done, we'll both head out."

The two continued to stand next to each other for another few minutes, as they watched everyone practice. They were getting the hang of it very quickly. Carl had hit almost every single shot, and Amy was hitting every glass bottle.

But one thing always ate at Alex however.

For years, they had been fighting to stop this. The need for civilization to take arms to protect themselves, as the world they once knew, was gone. Was it just some joke? Was them fighting every single day, sacrificing a normal life for billions of people, and losing loved ones just some kind of joke? Alex couldn't even count the loved ones she's lost over the years. There was just too many friends, and family that were taken.

She now only had John and Cameron left. The once future messiah that would lead the humans to victory was like a brother to her. A man who she once admired as a little girl in a far distant future.

And then, there was Cameron: a terminator that had become like a naive little sister to her. But what did this group that she now spent time with, meant? What was their relationship to each other? It is too early to tell.

•••

After practice, Alex and Shane had loaded up the vehicle and broke off from the group, to search an area for Savannah. The two rode in silence, until they came up to a neighborhood that was still mostly under construction. Before the apocalypse, the state had planned for this place to be a new suburban neighborhood, complete with a local elementary and High School, and several clothing stores and supermarkets.

But now, sitting in their unfinished state, completely lost in a forgotten world, they could be a potential safe haven for a lost little girl. If they were lucky, that lost little girl could be the one that they had been searching for.

The vehicle came to a halt right in front of the two story houses, and Alex and Shane hopped out. They both checked their weapons and started to search from the far end, to the very beginning of the area.

Almost every house was either too cluttered to even enter inside, or they were empty. So far, they were getting nowhere.

"In hindsight, maybe we should have brought more help?" Alex mused the idea. There were too many houses to search and they had barely made a dent into the massive neighborhood.

"We got this." Shane said with determination and opened another door, only to find it empty. Once he closed the door, he turned back to Alex. "Empty." He informed.

With another house turning up blank, they both leave and walk outside. The sun was still shining bright in the sky, which meant they had another few hours of searching at their disposal.

"What the hell?" Shane scratched the back of his head. Alex followed his gaze up to the far end of the street, where one house's door was wide open, and several Walker corpses littered the front yard.

The two cautiously approached the yard, with their weapons drawn. Alex knelt down and studied one of the corpses to determine how long it was lying there.

"This one's fresh." Alex acknowledged. She grimaced at the horrid smell of the dead corpse. "Well, as fresh as these things can get, anyway."

"Then someone must have left in a hurry?" Shane inquired.

"Or they're still here." Alex answered and stood up. The two raise their weapons once more and tiptoed inside. It was darker than usual. Most of the other houses hadn't any drapes or window coverings, so it was easier to see. But this one was completely different. Each and every window was visibly boarded up or covered with curtains. Someone _was_ , or still _is_ living in here.

Each room was as empty as the last however. The living room did have a sleeping bag in the middle and the kitchen had some canned food and bottled water, but that was it. The other rooms were barren just like the other dozen houses that they had previously searched.

 _ **Crash!**_

Both Alex and Shane jolt into action and aim their guns towards the source of the sudden sound. They both followed where the sound came from and come up to a closed door. They could hear ruffling and munching sounds from the other side.

Shane reached for the door handle, only to find that it was locked. Whoever it was, probably knew about their presence and hid inside.

Shane looked at Alex who was on the other side of the doorway, and started to silently countdown from three with his fingers. He then backed away from the frame and used his right foot to kick the wooden door with all of his strength, and the door went flying off its hinges.

Both he and Alex storm the room, and find that in the middle, was a Walker chowing down on someone. But due to the loud ruckus that the two had caused, it had gained the Walker's attention, and stood up, and began shuffling towards them.

Alex took aimed and took the shot, and the Walker fell backwards.

"Damn, guess this guy locked himself in with that thing." Shane shook his head in disgust. _Maybe a loved one perhaps?_

"At least it wasn't her." Alex sighed in relief.

"If it was, then we could stop this aimless searching." Shane mumbled sarcastically.

"Seriously?" Alex scoffed. "A little girl is lost and you're saying that maybe it's better if she's dead?"

"See, now you're just putting words in my mouth!" Shane sneered annoyingly. "I'll tell you what I told Rick. We are risking people for a little girl that may or may not be dead. The more people we send out here, the more we are most likely to lose."

"That's just taking the cowards way out," Alex shoved him. "I thought that maybe since you were a cop, you'd feel sympathy for James, and be determined to find her! But I guess I was wrong!"

"Oh, so I am the coward. Did it ever occur to you about that bag of guns that you kept hidden from us?" Shane reminded with the tap of his forehead. "Because of your unwillingness to share them with the group, people died on your watch!"

That more recent memory had flooded back to Alex's mind. All the death and sadness that had swept the camp. All the holes that were dug. All the hate she had endured when they surprisingly found the duffle bag.

"I never asked you why you hid them." Shane inquired. "What was the reason and better yet, where did you get them?"

After regaining some composure, Alex turned away from Shane and looked at the half eaten man, and Walker. "They were from a weapons locker that we had back in LA." Alex began.

"And why didn't you show them to any of us?" Shane then asked.

"What excuse was I supposed to give for having them?" Alex inquired. "You saw what was in that bag, correct?"

"Uhh-"

"-Military grade assault rifles, C4, hand grenades. Even a China Lake grenade launcher!" Alex cut him off. "Every single one of those is illegal! And since you _were_ a cop, I decided that maybe I shouldn't just go out and say: 'Hey everyone, look at my collection of explosives and other weapons!'"

"Considering the world that were living in, maybe I would have made an exception to the whole thing!"

"Would you really?" Alex raised her eyebrow in confusion. "Just a few days ago, you still believed that by staying by the city, there were chances of the military coming in and saving us."

Shane leaned his back against the wall and sighed heavily. Alex may have had a point. He now didn't know whether her reason was a valid excuse for all the casualties that they had suffered. Loved ones died sure, but with two police officers that still believed that salvation would soon arrive if they stayed put?

"I guess I owe you an apology." Muttered Shane.

"Shut up!" Alex hissed.

"Hey, I just said sorry, and now you're telling me to be quiet-" Shane sneered before Alex had ran up to him and covered his mouth with the palm of her hand.

With Shane about to pull off her hand from his face, he heard it. The faint moans that were coming from outside.

The two looked outside and saw a horde of Walkers outside that were closing in fast. The whole area was surrounded.

The two hightail it out of the room, and down the hallway until they busted out of the front door. The front yard was littered with the flesh hungry monsters, as they had targeted Alex and Shane for their next meal.

Shane and Alex fire at the nearest ones and began to clear a path. But there were too many of them. It seemed that no matter how many Walkers that they killed, the more that seemed to appear.

"You clear the street, I'll clear the car." Shane ordered and began to concentrate his fire onto their getaway vehicle. Alex did what she was told and began to fire down the street at every Walker that approached.

Alex unloaded clip after clip into until she was down to one left. She slid the last one into her weapon, and rose to fire. But as she pulled the trigger, gun didn't fire. Instead it ended up jamming. "Shit!" Alex cursed herself as she began to look down at the failed weapon.

Too focused on clearing the jam, Alex failed to notice the Walker that was right in front of her, and it started to lurch out and grab her.

Shane noticed the distress, but the Walker's around the vehicle were still plentiful. Shane was torn between choices yet again. Save his partner, or save himself. He needed to clear the car now, or their chances of escape were next to nothing.

With his final decision made, Shane rushed up to the Walker that was now on top of Alex and kicked it off of her. He then put one bullet inside his head and grabbed Alex by under the right arm and hoisted her up.

"You good?" He asked hastily as he observed his surroundings.

"I had it under control, but thanks." Alex replied.

"God dammit, there's too many of them!" Shane grumbled to himself.

"Guess both me and you have a knack for getting into these situations don't we?" Alex sarcastically remarked.

"Yeah, don't jinx it!" Shane shouted back. He and Alex made a dash for the car, and fired at each Walker that came into contact with their path,.until the area surrounding the vehicle was as clear as it could be at the moment.

Both Alex and Shane quickly pile into the car, and close the doors shut, just as most of the Walker's that chased them, had gathered around the vehicle. Their blood stained hands had smeared the windows and their faces had pressed up against the glass.

Shane started the car, and put it into reverse and backed over several Walkers as the result. He drifted the car back into forward position and sped off, with the Walker's trying to follow suit.

Luckily with their slowness being their greatest enemy, Alex and Shane had managed to escape the estate.

•••

The car ride was for the most part, silent. Shane and Alex were breathing heavily and sweating. They had another close call with a herd that just so happened decided to intervene into their search for Savannah. Even if she was there, there was the possibility that while trying to cover their own asses, Savannah would have just slowed them down and even could have gotten them both killed. Maybe it was for the best.

"So you never did ask me that question." Alex spoke, breaking the uncomfortable silence that loomed.

"What?" Shane inquired.

"You know. The question that you wanted to ask me?" Alex reminded.

"Ah!" Shane nodded. "Yeah I almost forgot about that." He chuckled and began to explain. "So it's about what happened a few nights ago. Back at the high school."

"What about it?" Alex inquired unsure. She remembered the questionable decisions she made that could have probably draw suspicious to what she was underneath.

"What was that kiss for?" He asked. "I mean, why did you kiss me in the first place?"

"Oh. That." Alex mentally sighed in relief. "Well, I thought we weren't... going to make it."

"Oh, come on that's just bullshit." Shane slammed his palm on the steering wheel. "I can tell the difference between a goodbye kiss and a passionate one."

"Oh?" Alex tilted her head slightly. "Since when were you all lover boy?"

"Now see, I knew you were lying." Shane pointed out.

"Shut up!" Alex mockingly crossed her arms and gazed out the window. But Shane could easily tell that she was smiling.

Shane turned his attention back to the road and continued to drive for another few minutes before he felt something on his crotch. He turned his head to the right and saw Alex staring back at him with fire in her eyes. He then followed her arm that was extended, down to where his groin was and knew what she had in mind. Shane decided to stop the car.

As soon as the vehicle came to a halt, Alex wasted no time, and engulfed him in another long, deep, passionate kiss. Shane adjusted the seat back, allowing Alex to climb on top of him, all while keeping their lips locked tightly together.

Alex broke off the kiss, when she sensed that Shane needed to breathe. "Is this what you wanted?" She smirked mischievously.

"I wouldn't say it was what I wanted, but I'd say it's what I need." Shane also smirked. Alex and Shane continued their make out session for another few seconds, until Alex once again broke off and began to remove her shirt, and followed up with undoing her bra.

Shane had too say he was shocked. Not in a bad way or anything negative, but he was actually shocked to see Alex in all of her beauty. Even if he did used to consider himself a "ladies man," He had to admit that he was pretty lucky.

Shane couldn't take it anymore, he wanted her now more than ever. Ever since that kiss back at the high school, he knew he had felt something, but just dismissed it as a last option. That moment then, was the candle and this moment now was the flame that sparked that candle.

Shane pulled her close and their lips locked once again, not daring to let go for even a single two had continued to make passionate love to one another that whole afternoon, and wondered what their future might hold in this kind of world.

 _ **Georgia, June 23, 2011: (Greene Farm)**_

Back at the farm, it was relatively quiet, besides the small scene that Maggie had caused in front of Lori Grimes when she and Glenn had returned from a small pharmacy run. Cameron heard most of the outburst, considering that she was inside her and John's tent. But that didn't concern Cameron whatsoever.

She was curious however, when Lori unexpectedly bolted out of her tent and had ran several meters away, out into the field.

Under normal circumstances, Cameron would have just let her be, but with no mission objective, she decided to see what was going on with Lori.

As Cameron approached closer and closer, she noticed that Lori was trying to make herself vomit by sticking her fingers down her throat.

This confused Cameron greatly.

"What are you doing?" Cameron asked in her childish, yet curious manner.

Lori jumped in fright and fell on her bottom. She squinted up through the glaring sunset and saw Cameron stiffly standing a few inches from her.

"Jeez, you scared the crap out of me." Lori muttered. Cameron stretched out her hand for Lori to take, which she took gladly.

"What were you doing?" Cameron repeated. She peeked over Lori's shoulder and analyzed the vomit that was in the grass, but nothing came up in her database. Even the one time that she recorded Sarah vomiting, this was of different color and texture.

"None of your business, sweetie." Lori sidestepped, blocking Cameron's view. "Now, why don't you just go on, I'm fine."

Cameron ran her fingers across Lori's neck, causing the woman to smack her hand away in defense.

"Don't touch me!" Lori sternly barked.

Cameron ignored the woman's shouting and looked down at her fingers. "You're not sick," She stated. "Why did you throw up if you're not sick?"

"As I said; None. Of. Your. Business." Lori persisted and turned to walk away.

"You're pregnant."

Lori stopped dead in her tracks and looked back at Cameron with shock. "W-what?"

"I recorded the signs. Morning sickness, you're avoidance of cooking beef. You're pregnant." Cameron explained.

"You know through all of that?" Lori inquired.

"I read it in a book."

"A book." Lori mused. "What what the thing with rubbing my neck then?"

"I was taking your temperature." Cameron answered.

"You can do that just by touching me?"

"Yes."

"Lori!" A voice shouted from behind. Cameron turned to see Rick Grimes marching up to the two, holding a small box in his right hand. "What the hell is this!"

"I, Umm…" Lori stuttered, not knowing what to say.

"Cameron, will you please leave me and my wife in peace? We have some things that we need to further discuss." He asked calmly. Cameron nodded once and stalked away from the two, and back to camp, leaving Rick and Lori to further discuss their problems.

In the distance however, Cameron could hear Rick's anger. Him snapping at his wife for a reason she didn't entirely know of.

 _Why are humans so complicated?_ Cameron wondered.

She walked back to the camp and sat down inside the hers, and John's tent, with a straight posture.

She asked herself that same question again. _Why are humans so complicated?_

Cameron didn't know whether she should be angry with Jimmy for firing off that bullet and putting people's lives in jeopardy. If it were John, she wouldn't have hesitated in killing him. Would she? She was angry with with herself for not acting sooner. Anger was an entirely new concept for her, that she didn't entirely understand. All she knew was that she hated feeling this surge of hatred, this spark that made her so distasteful of Rick Grimes, and those men back in Oklahoma.

 _Why didn't I kill Rick when he threatened John's safety? Why did I just stand there and not protect him?_

A million thoughts had filed through Cameron's mind so fast, that she didn't take notice to her tight gripping of the cot railing.

 _I can't protect John, I can't. He will die because of me. I'm not a good protector, he will die because of me._

That thought had repeated itself over and over in Cameron's head. A thought that she dreaded to even account for. Due to this excessive memory surge, Cameron had accidentally opened an old memory:

 _ **I'm good now. I'm good, I ran a test. Everything's perfect. I'm perfect. John! I'm sorry for what I did, I'm sorry. It wasn't me.**_

Those memories came back in an instant. Those memories that she wished she could have buried deep within her memory banks and never see or hear them ever again. But she couldn't. The more she forced one memory down, another appeared.

 _ **You have to understand. It wasn't me. That wasn't me. You can't let this happen, John. You can't! Please, listen to me. Listen to me. I don't want to go. Please, John, please. John, listen to me. I don't want to go. Please, John. Please.**_

Cameron began twitching erratically, as those memories were replying over and over again. Tears began to form in her brown eyes as she stared off at John's dark green coat.

 _ **I'm good now. Listen to me. I don't want to go. I'm sorry. That wasn't me. I'm fixed now. I ran a test. Everything's perfect. You can trust me.**_

"Cameron?" A voice inquired worryingly. But Cameron didn't hear and still sat there, in a form of shock.

 _ **I love you! I love you, please. I love you, John, and you love me.**_

"Cameron!" The voice snapped.

Finally being able to break away from those thoughts, Cameron looked up at who was calling her name. She hoped it would be John, but it wasn't.

"Oh my God, what's wrong?" Owen knelt down in front of her. She had tears trailing down her face and her eyes were glassy and red. He had came back to the tent to retrieve his hat, but upon seeing Cameron in distress, he immediately gave her his full attention. He was very concerned.

"I'm fine." Cameron said blankly but her voice managed to betray her as she shivered when answering.

Owen responded by placing his hand on top of Cameron's, and surprisingly, she didn't react in defense. Instead, she felt some comfort, if not any at all. She didn't know Owen all that well, but she could tell that he was caring for others.

 _A was to be "future soldier" was comforting a machine._ She didn't understand why exactly he was doing it. What the reason behind his concern was, but she had the feeling that he was a far different person than anyone else here.

•••

 **Author's Note: I hope this was a way more enjoyable chapter than the last.**

 **I tried to put more relationship development between Alex and Shane and they end up revealing their feelings to each other. I sure hope I executed this right, so let me know if this pairing is something you're interested in.**

 **Since some of you were confused about Cameron's motives last chapter, I tried my best to explain them here. She is trying to figure out what is happening to her. Hopefully it will turn out for the best.**

 **Constructive criticism is gladly appreciated!**


	7. Chapter 7: Ellison Gone

**The Walking Dead: Termination Season 2**

 **Chapter 7: Ellison Gone**

 _ **Georgia, June 26, 2011: (Greene Farm):**_

 _ **8:14 am**_

It was yet another bright and beautiful morning on the Greene property. The sun had just risen and it was the start of yet another day.

Sofia was up early and took a stroll around the farm. She enjoyed the sense having the freedom to roam again. With the way the world was now, being alone wasn't a very good option. But the farm was too peaceful to not take advantage of.

Feeling the need for a break, Sophia sat down in the lush grass and began to play with Savannah's stuffed giraffe, that she had dropped back at the interstate. It was the only toy she had for the time being until Savannah was found and she'd have to hand it back over.

Back at the camp, Sophia could see everyone emerge from their tents, starting the day off with cooking breakfast over the fire. She knew her mother would get worried, so Sophia stood back up and made her way back.

However, she stopped in her tracks when she heard rustling in the brush not to far by. The border that divided the Georgian forest and the Greene Farm.

Sophia slowly but surely made her way to the bush, curious as to what was behind it. But then something emerged, and grabbed Sofia by the wrist. She tried to pry off the hand, but it was no use. She was dragged into the bush where her screams became drowned out by gurgling blood.

 _ **Five Minutes Earlier:**_

Cameron did what she had always done for the past couple of days. Something she had grown accustomed to. She stood idly by the tree, watching the shed that held John.

For days he had been locked up in that shed. She knew that he had food and water, but what about comfort? With her, nor Alex being allowed anywhere near the shed, Cameron wasn't certain on the state of comfort that John had.

Every single time that Cameron had tried to break the rules to free John and be rid of this place, Alex or Ellison was always there to stop her. Make her see the way they see it- for if she had killed anyone, broke John free, or even revealed what she was, the whole group could be even more divided than it actually was.

The entire group seemed to not be in good terms lately. With finding Savannah, and John still being blamed as the murderer, everyone was always at each other's throats.

Cameron just watched as the shed opened and Rick walked out with John following. He wasn't wearing his binds which confused Cameron greatly since he was in fact their prisoner, but the sight of John not being tied up like an animal brought a positive feel in her.

Rick was mostly just walking behind John, while they both strolled around the property.

Since Rick used to be a cop- an authority figure, he knew that it was only humane to give the prisoner some exercise once in had to at least give Rick that.

John would occasionally look out into the distance to look at Cameron with a reassuring smile. She would return the smile but instantly frown when Rick would shove him forward.

It surprised Cameron that she was able to control her urge to just walk up to Rick and break his neck like a toothpick. She calculated at least fifty ways on how to kill the man, but every single one ended with John being disappointed in her. That was what held her back. She didn't like when John was disappointed in her.

Then she heard it. Her audio sensors had picked up a high pitched scream come from several yards away. She knew that everyone too heard it, as they had quite literally dropped their plates and rushed to the source of the sound.

Cameron looked back at John and Rick and saw that the two were also running in the direction of everyone else. She calculated that this wasn't good and began to follow alongside John.

"What's going on?" He asked Cameron, hoping that she somewhat knew of the situation.

"I don't know." Cameron truthfully replied and the two continued to run.

They neared the field where everyone was gathered in a circle. Carol was on her knees crying with Daryl holding her back, and Ellison just stood in place. He didn't move, nor blink. It didn't even seem like he was breathing by the looks of it.

Cameron, John, and Rick pushed past everyone and took a good look at the scene.

A lone Walker was hunched over Sophia, eating her flesh. There was a trail of blood that was left on the grass, implying that Sophia had tried to escape. But unfortunately, she too fell victim to the monster.

But this Walker... this thing that was eating a young innocent girl, wasn't just a Walker.

It was Savannah.

John couldn't believe his eyes. Cameron too was surprised. This little girl that they had known for several years was now just a mindless flesh eating corpse. The little girl that they once saved from being assassinated. John couldn't even begin to imagine what Ellison was beginning to go through.

He sure showed it though, when he fell to his knees and tears began to well up in his eyes. Ellison's whole world came crashing down in just mere seconds. It would make sense for Ellison to be the one that would put her down, but he didn't display the willpower to touch a hair on her head. He couldn't bring himself to kill someone who was practically his daughter.

Shane held a shovel but didn't know how to act. Killing a normal Walker was one thing, but killing a child… that was something he just couldn't bring himself to doing.

Everyone turned to Rick, awaiting his answer for this whole mess. He was in fact the group's leader after all.

Rick knew what he had to do. It was obvious. He upholstered his weapon and began to walk closer to Sophia and Savannah. He rose his weapon at the young redhead and pulled the hammer back with his thumb.

The sounds that everyone had made, gained Savannah's attention. She stopped what she was doing, and looked up at Rick, who had his gun aimed at her. She stumbled onto her feet, and reached out for the man, wanting a bit of his flesh too.

He may have not known this little girl for very long, but he felt it was his fault. If he didn't leave her, she would still be here. If he didn't leave her, she along with Sophia would still be alive right now.

It was time to put her to rest.

Rick squeezed the trigger and a loud bang echoed throughout the whole property. Savannah's body jolted and her body fell to the side, unmoving, and a trail of dark blood beginning to form over Sophia's bright colored blood. It was over. Their search and time on this farm just came to an end.

 _ **Six Hours Later:**_

Ever since this morning, everyone was silent. Earlier had them all in shock still. It proved to them that this world no longer gave mercy to those who couldn't defend themselves.

A cruel and merciless world that they now lived in.

Rick didn't even bother with throwing John back into the shed. Instead he just asked if he could help bury the two young girls, which he accepted.

After the incident, Hershel confronted Rick on what happened this morning. He gave his sincere apologies to the two young girls, but stuck true to his word. He still wanted them all off of his property.

Rick was beyond upset. This farm became like a home to not just him and his family, but everyone in the entire group. Now they would be thrusted back out into the road where their chances of survival were now even more limited without a safe haven.

Alex was inside her tent where she was arranging her belongings. Just as she began to get comfortable, they had to up and leave all over again. Even before shit hit that fan, she remembered the countless times that Sarah Connor had made them move to another safehouse. If only things were as simple as moving to another safehouse to avoid a machine hunting them.

"Ahem." A voice coughed from behind her. Alex turned around to see Shane standing in the entrance, where he removed his police cap and wiped the sweat off of his forehead.

"What, Shane?" Alex inquired, keeping her back turned to the man.

"Are you busy?" He asked.

"What does it look like?" Alex sarcastically remarked.

"Look, if you just wanna get snippy with me, then I'll just leave, okay?" Shane sneered. He turned to leave until Alex spoke.

"Look, I'm sorry, it's just… a lot is going on right now." Alex huffed in frustration. She took a seat on her cot and her head drooped to the floor in a defeated manner.

Shane saw her stress and decided to take a seat right next to Alex. "I get it."

"What do _you_ get?" Alex sarcastically scoffed.

"You're not too keen on being back on the road so soon." Shane began. "Both Savannah and Sophia's deaths are so sudden that it makes you realize that this is fact a cruel world that we live in. Believe me, I get it."

"I just thought that we'd actually have a life here. After everything that's happened to us, I thought we finally made it." Alex sadly explained. She began to like this farm, and everyone here. With John and Cameron by her side again, it almost felt like a good resolution to a nightmare.

Shane nodded, agreeing what Alex had described as her disappointment. If he had it his way, Shane would have just forced Hershel that they were now in charge and were staying. They surely had the numbers and the guns to do it, so what was stopping them for fighting for their new home?

Shane looked at Alex's sad face as she awaited his answer. The face that he came to adore. If anything, their encounter from a few days ago could have just been dismissed as "getting off" or another similar term "for the hell of it," but not for Shane. His heart raced every time he saw Alex. That feeling he hadn't felt since… since Lori.

Shane had just realized that he had forgotten about Lori. The woman of his best friend, and he did in fact love her. But did he now? Was he so focused on Alex that he just felt the love for Lori diminish?

"What are you thinking about?" Alex asked curiously when she noticed him going into deep thought.

Shane shook his head and smiled. Even her voice had made him forget. "It's nothing. I promise you that no matter where we end up, we'll always have each other."

"Well that was sudden!" Alex chuckled.

Shane's smile quickly turned into a frown just as hers began to form. Fear began to take hold, as he thought that maybe they were moving too fast?

"What do you mean?" Shane asked confused.

"And here I thought you were the "tough guy," the one who never reveals their emotions to anyone." Alex described. Ever since she met Shane, he gave everyone that vibe.

"Everyone has a soft spot I guess." Shane chuckled. He threw his arm around Alex's shoulders and gave her a peck on the cheek. Shane and Alex sat there for a long moment, just relishing in each other's company.

Shane looked down at his police cap. One of the last remnants of his former life. One of his most prized possessions next to his shotgun and Glock 19.

"Here," He handed the cap to Alex. She took it, unsure as to why he was giving it to her.

"Why are you giving me your hat?" She asked confusingly.

"Think of it as a reminder of me for when I'm not around."Shane shrugged. "I mean if we already got to first base, shouldn't I get you a gift anyway?"

"You don't really understand relationship stuff all that well, don't you?" Alex rose her eyebrow in confusion.

"Hey, I'll let you know, that I used to be quite the ladies man before all of this went down!" Shane informed, unable to suppress a smile.

"Oh, okay, that makes _total sense."_ Alex nodded with a pout.

She took the cap and placed it on her head, which for Shane, made her look way more adorable.

"Thanks Shane." She said gratefully and engulfed him in a hug. Shane kissed her on top of the head, and rubbed her upper back.

The two were interrupted from their quiet moment, when Glenn suddenly came running into Alex's tent.

"Glenn, what are doing in here? Did you forget how to knock?" Alex inquired annoyingly.

"No time for that!" Glenn said with both seriousness and nervousness. "Ellison is missing."

Alex was the first to get up and rush out of the tent, where she walked outside to where the group was gathered. Shane and Glenn soon followed.

"What the hell happened, where's James?" Alex demanded as she prowled up to Rick.

"He left unexpectedly," Rick explained. "Daryl and Amy said he just took the SUV and drove off."

"And nobody stopped him?" Alex practically shouted in frustration. She knew James before all of this. Way before all of this. She was the first man she'd met when she first traveled from the future. Even if this Ellison didn't know her like she knew him, she still looked up to the man.

"How could we?" Daryl inquired in confusion. "He was already gone."

"Maybe use that handy dandy crossbow you have, and take out the tire!" Alex sneered angrily. "Why haven't any of you gone after him?"

"That's what we were just discussing," Assured Rick. "I'm taking two people to go find him."

"Like who?" Alex asked.

"Glenn for starters." Rick immediately responded. If he was going out there, then Glenn was the man to take. He trusted well enough that he'd always have his back.

Rick examined the entire group that stood before him, trying to think of another person to take with him on this search. Daryl would be the most ideal person to take, because of his tracking skills, but he was still healing from being stabbed and shot. John was already out of the equation, because he wasn't trusted to carry a weapon. Morales was okay with taking out Walkers, but mostly stayed out of such events. Carol was now a broken woman, and he wasn't sure about Owen. Alex seemed too emotional right now, so she wasn't the best option. That only left two people that could really handle their own out there. Owen and Cameron.

But he wasn't sure if Cameron could be trusted either. She was too close to John and giving a weapon could very well be bad news for Rick's safety. But then again, Cameron knew who Ellison was. She should be the one to talk to him.

Rick's choice was made. He may be gambling on Cameron right now, but he really had no choice but to put some level of trust into her. At least for right now.

•••

Rick, and Cameron sat in the front seat, with Rick driving; while Owen and Glenn sat in the back. The drive was long and it was silent. They were too focused on finding any trace of Ellison or at least the SUV that he was driving.

But as hours went by, no trace of the man nor vehicle were spotted. The sun was starting to set, as another day was drawing to its end. Rick was already starting to give up on the search. Being stranded in the dark, meant that they had a chance of getting lost. Even killed if they weren't careful. Two people a lead died today, he didn't want to be added to that list.

Now they were nearing a town. A town that was adjacent to the one that was close by the farm, if not a little larger. The gleaming from the setting sun had cast over the brick buildings, only leaving a beautiful orange color behind.

Rick didn't know the town whatsoever, so he decided to avoid it. A location that he had no knowledge of, could pose as a potential hazard zone. He already learned that the hard way when he entered Atlanta only to be caught by hundreds of Walkers. Never again would he be as careless as before.

"Stop!" Cameron barked suddenly. Rick slammed his foot on the brakes, and the entire vehicle skidded to a halt.

"What's happened?" Glenn nervously peeked his head in between the space of Rick and Cameron. "Is there another Herd?"

"No." Cameron denied. "Look there." She then added as she pointed down the road into town. Parked near a bar, was Sarah's SUV. Rick turned into the street and slowly drove down it, careful to avoid any of the abandoned cars.

He parked across the street from the bar, and the four hopped out of the vehicle. Cameron was the first to walk toward the vehicle, where she peeked inside it. No one was present.

"Well, we found the car, but where's Ellison?" Owen asked confused.

"He's near." Cameron replied. "The SUV's engine is still warm. He couldn't have gotten far."

"Guys!" Glenn whispered from near the bar window. "I don't think we have to look very far."

Wondering what Glenn meant, they followed him as he slowly entered inside.

The bar was mostly in pitch blackness. It had a rustic style that held a lot of saloon themed objects such as an antique piano, and some old paintings.

At the very edge of the bar, sat Ellison. He was hunched over as he held a bottle of tequila in his hand. The bottle was only half empty which meant he had been here for a short time.

"What are you doing here?" Ellison asked, not looking at the group who had entered. Instead he took another long swig of the heavy liquor, before setting it down, and wincing at the immense burning sensation that gave way down his throat.

"We went looking for you." Rick answered.

"Why?" Ellison asked.

"Because we know that you're going through a lot, big guy." Owen patted his shoulder and took a seat right next to him.

"No, why did you come here?" Ellison repeated in a harsher tone. "Don't you have more issues to attend to, _Rick Grimes_?"

"I came here because we're a group. We need to look out for each other." Rick argued in a calm manner. He could tell that Ellison already had too much to drink.

"Really?" Ellison scoffed. "Throwing John in lockup, and that's what you call 'looking out for each other?'"

"I get that we don't know if he was the one who done it, but that's doesn't rule him out as a suspect either." Rick countered.

Ellison angrily slammed his fist into the counter. "You think he did it because of what his mother did! His mother may have made some questionable decisions, but she is no murderer, and John sure as hell ain't one either!"

The whole room went silent, as they took in what Ellison had said, especially Rick himself.

"You're a man of the law, Rick, but lately, it's seems like you've been taking a different route." Ellison then said calmly. He knew the alcohol was starting to take a toll on his behavior. "I was an FBI agent before this whole mess, and I was assigned to his mother's case. I should know that John specifically wouldn't dare hurt anyone- Jimmy or even the CEO of Microsoft, otherwise."

"So you expect me to just let him go?" Rick questioned.

"It's what's best for the rest of us. Me, Alex," Ellison mentioned as he looked at the young girl who stood behind Rick. "Cameron."

"People are back at the Farm scared. If I just let John free, then what will it tell everyone?"

Ellison took a seat and took another long swig from the tequila bottle. "The people have every right to be scared. Savannah is dead, Sophia is dead. Two innocent, little girls lost their lives today and you expect them to be afraid of an innocent kid?" Ellison unexpectedly broke down crying, as he began to sob into his own arm.

Cameron walked up to the man and pulled the tequila bottle from his grasp and set it aside. She then tried something that she still didn't quite understand.

She wrapped her arm around the man to comfort him.

"I'm sorry for your loss." Cameron whispered.

"I was never meant to take care of someone like Savannah. I had a responsibility to her and I… I failed her." Ellison quavered between sobs.

"This world is cruel, big guy." Owen nonchalantly spoke. "Even before all of this, the world was always in rough shape. When my parents died, I was on my own. I had to learn everything the hard way. You're lucky to still have people that care about you, like Cameron here."

"We all look out for each other." Rick also added. "You, Cameron… John. You are all one of us."

Cameron had to admit that she was surprised to hear Rick say that they all were considered one of the group. Mostly John though. Was this a step up into Rick trusting John again? Would he let him go finally?

"Holy shit." A voice came from behind. Everyone quickly turned their heads to see two men standing in the entrance of the bar.

One of the men was muscular, who wore a blue sleeveless jersey; and the other was obese and carried a shotgun.

The two men closed the door and walked closer to the bunch, where Cameron immediately rose her gun at the two men.

"I will shoot if you keep moving." Cameron replied in a monotonous voice.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, no need to do anything harsh, darling." The muscular man said in a calm tone. He had a huge grin on his face as he crept closer and closer to the bunch. "We were just in town on a scavenging run, and couldn't help but see your vehicles parked just right outside."

"We were just leaving." Rick said to the man.

"Well that's a shame, it's been awhile since we've seen other people around." The man chuckled. "I mean, come on, we ain't them dead things outside, so how about we all relax and have a small drink? You know, get to know each other."

"Come on, Rick, why not? We found Ellison, so mission accomplished, right?" Owen whispered to the man.

Before Rick had a chance to intervene, Owen spoke again.

"I'm Owen." He introduced. "This is Rick, Glenn, Cameron, and James."

"Nice to meet you all." The man acknowledged. "My name is David, but people call me Dave; and the fat ass here, is Tony."

Dave and Tony walked closer to everyone, where they somewhat eased off on the new arrivals. All but for Rick and Cameron. They both had an off feeling about the men.

"So what brings you here?" Dave asked no one in particular as he took a seat on one of the bar stools.

"Just scavenging." Ellison lied. "Thought we could use a drink."

Dave chuckled. "Same here. Me and Tony came all the way from Oklahoma, so this is the first bar that we've came across that actually is still in stock."

Those words immediately shot at Cameron like a point blank bullet. Oklahoma. The one place where some of the worst memories that she'll ever experienced resonated from. But that had to be a coincidence right? Just because someone is from Oklahoma doesn't mean anything.

"Why travel all the way to Georgia?" Owen inquired. "I feel the weather wasn't the reason."

"After our group was attacked, me and Tony were the only ones to survive." Dave began. "We heard of rumors about Fort Benning being one of the last and strongest military safe zones in the whole country, so here we are."

"But you're not in Fort Benning." Rick pointed out.

"Correct, Rick." Dave nodded. "The place was overrun by the eaters, sadly."

Rick closed his eyes and let the revelation sink in. The next safe haven that they were headed to was gone. Plan B already failed.

"I'm sorry, guess it's hard for someone to just accept that." Dave sincerely apologized. "It's gone, just like everything else in this world."

"So it's just you two on your own?" Owen asked the two.

"Nah, me and Dave were lucky enough to find another group just a few days ago." Tony answered.

"There's more of you around?" Inquired Rick.

"Yeah, but back at our camp." Dave assured. "They gave me and Tony the initiation to go out and scavenge supplies to prove our worth."

"It's just you two out here." Cameron stated.

"Indeed we are." Dave boldly smiled at the young cyborg. Cameron caught the slight glimpse of Dave's eyes diverting away from her face, and down her body. His eyes screamed lust.

"So, you guys have a camp back somewhere?" Dave asked Rick. "Me and Tony couldn't help but notice that your vehicles have no supplies in them."

"We are part of a bigger group." Ellison simply answered. He was beginning to feel uncomfortable with the way Dave carried himself. It was reminiscent to someone who would manipulate you for information.

"Ahh, so I guess we are one and the same then!" Dave clapped his hands together. He took the bottle of tequila that was next to Ellison and poured himself a shot glass, before downing it in one motion.

"Hey, why don't you come back with us?" Tony suggested. "If our groups meet, we can arrange for you to be integrated in with us."

"Thanks, but no thanks." Rick politely declined. He too began to feel something was off about these two. Tony seemed alright- if somewhat naive. Dave on the other hand, carried himself like a con man.

"Ahh, come on Rick!" Dave smiled. "By the way you seemed down about Fort Benning, I could tell that you were planning on going there yourself, right?"

"We were." Ellison answered as he stood up. "But not anymore."

"Then come with us." Dave persisted. "Once you talk to the boss, you can tell us where to find your people, and we can bring them with us."

"Like I said. Thanks, but no thanks." Rick repeated.

"You were from Oklahoma." Cameron spoke up from the back. "What happened exactly?"

"Some small group was staying in a motel from across our hideout." Dave explained. "Boss wanted them gone, so the town's resources wouldn't diminish from scavengers."

"We attempted to scare the shit out of them, but he took it too far." Tony cut off.

"Whoever it was, killed each of our friends in the most violent way possible. Me and Tony were down by the cars, when we heard the gunfire and screams." Dave continued. "That was when we decided to just get away while we could."

"Did you see who they were?" Cameron demanded.

"Actually, we saw two of them." Dave answered. "There was this little redheaded girl and this…"

Dave took one more look at the Ellison. The face he remembered shooting at.

"Oh, shit-" Dave cursed as he tried to pull his gun, only to have a bullet hit between his eyes, and blood splatter on the mirror behind the bar counter, with smoke rising from the barrel of Rick's revolver.

Cameron swung around to see Tony look at his friend in shock. She too rose her own pistol and fired off a round into the man's face, with his shotgun going off and hitting the ceiling as the result. The man fell to the ground with a pool of blood beginning to form around him.

•••

They had been gone for hours. Ellison could have gone anywhere so it was expected that they'd be gone for awhile. But with it getting dark, and Walkers being the main threat, he was worried for the bunch. Rick being the least. It would honestly be better if Rick were to die. Then, at least he would be somewhat free.

John sat at the campfire, staring deep into the flames. It was possible that this was their last night, so he made the best of it. Shane and Dale were inside of Hershel's house, trying to negotiate an agreement.

Across from John, was Daryl Dixon. Shane had asked him to watch John, because he was still in fact their prisoner. For the meantime at least. He was in the process of making homemade crossbow bolts out of sticks and feathers he had gathered. He lost all of his arrows when he had gotten into his search accident, so if he wanted to continue to use his favorite hunting weapon, he had to put in the effort to make replacements.

"You hungry?" Daryl asked. John was surprised to say the least. Daryl was actually more of a smart ass and didn't really get along with everyone else. He was an outcast.

"Uhh, yeah. I actually am." John nodded in agreement.

Daryl reached into his rucksack and pulled out a plastic baggie. Inside was some form of dried meat. "Here." Daryl said, and tossed the bag across at John.

John caught the bag and opened it. Immediately, the smell wafted at his nostrils. It smelt like pretty bad. Like roadkill on the side of the road. But considering that living dead people roam the place, this didn't smell remotely as bad as them, so he grabbed a piece and took a bite from it. Surprisingly, it wasn't that bad tasting.

"This is pretty good." John said between mouthfuls. "You make this?"

"Yeah, I did." Daryl replied. "Although in my opinion, Squirrel tastes better raw."

"This is squirrel?" John asked. He never tasted the animal before. They usually looked so cute and innocent, so it never crossed his mind to ever consider them as food. But now, he thought they were pretty tasty.

"I gotta say, I'm pretty flattered that you killed that son of bitch for me, but it was the wrong thing to do. In this group at least." Daryl said.

"I know, I've heard it before." John rolled his eyes and took another bite of the squirrel jerky.

"So how'd you kill him?" Daryl asked.

"I, uhh-" John stuttered. He wasn't given the details on how Jimmy died, so he couldn't make anything up. Nobody believed it wasn't him anyway.

"You didn't kill him did you." Daryl pointed out.

"How'd you know?" John inquired.

"Because you look confused. You don't carry that vibe of a man who's killed another man, kid."

"Pretty good at reading people aren't _you_?" John sarcastically remarked.

"Nah, just have a knack for pointing out the obvious." Daryl denied.

The two sat once more in complete silence, with John worried about Cameron. He knew she was a living weapon, but he couldn't help the fact that she was about to be in trouble.

•••

"Oh my God, why the hell did you do that!?" Glenn shouted in anxiety. Never had he seen Rick shoot a man, or even someone like Cameron.

"He… he was-" Ellison muttered.

"Yes." Cameron acknowledged Ellison's statement.

"They were with that group that attacked you back in Oklahoma?" Owen asked already knowing the answer. Otherwise Dave wouldn't have acted out like how he did.

"I never did get much of a good look at them, but I guess they were." Ellison replied.

"They said you killed them." Rick pointed out. "Was it John that did it?"

"They tried doing terrible things to us, so I think killing them was justified." Ellison argued. Rick was beginning to mistrust them once again, because of some bullshit that these men were blabbering on about.

"Killing people is not what we do!" Rick angrily snapped.

"If it means survival, then yes." Cameron disagreed.

"So it was you that did it?" Rick questioned the young cyborg. "You killed their people?"

"Yes." Cameron simply answered. "And you killed them too." She referred to the two dead corpses that lied on the floor.

Before Rick had a chance to interject, Footsteps could be heard from outside, as well as a truck passing by. The five immediately rushed into cover behind the windows and held their weapons tightly.

"Jeez, Dave and Tony should have been back by now, where'd they go?" A muffled male voice asked from outside.

"Probably only stayed with us until they could find a meal, and then just split like most do." Another man said.

"Probably, but their truck is back at the entrance of town, so they have to be here." The man stated.

"Let's keep looking." The other man said, and the two departed their separate ways.

Once they were out of hearing range, Rick peeked his head out of the window, where he saw two trucks with five other men inside, and two of them searching some of the surrounding structures.

"What do see?" Glenn and asked nervously.

"We're outnumbered by two." Rick explained. "I think if we wait it out, they'll just leave."

"You didn't hear them?" Owen whispered. "Their truck is at the entrance, and ours are right outside!"

"Shh!" Rick hushed. "We have no other choice."

"Wait. I heard something!" A man shouted as he got closer to the bar entrance.

"Where?" The two men asked as they ran up to bar.

"It came from inside." The door knob began to twist, which forced Glenn to jump in front of the door, and held it from being opened.

"What the hell? Something is on the other side."

"Probably was barricaded off when shit went down, dumbass. So stop playing games and continue searching!"

"Hello? Is anyone in there?" The man asked anyway. "Please let us know, we're just looking for our friends."

"I told you, nobody is here!"

The men continued to argue for several more seconds. Rick didn't know what to do. Everything was happening so fast. Rick looked at everyone with a silent suggestion. They all shook their heads in disagreement.

"Your men tried killing us." Rick said anyway. He didn't know if it was his pity for the men that made him speak, or his years with the law that made him so truthful. "They pulled a gun on us and we had to defend ourselves."

"Holy shit, someone is in there!" One man said in surprise.

"But they killed Tony and Dave!" One of the other men shouted.

"We had no choice!" Rick explained. "I'm sorry, but if we can-"

Before Rick had a chance to pacify anyone, gunshots broke through the glass, and flew above their heads. Cameron got up from her hiding place and began to fire out or the broken window, managing to hit one in the chest.

"Shit, they got Danny!" One man informed, and began firing his automatic rifle at the bar window.

Rick immediately tackled Cameron down to the ground as even more bullets flew just inches away from their heads.

"Glenn, see if there's a way out through the back." Rick commanded. The young man nodded and began to crawl away, and disappeared inside the storage room. "You, keep your head down, we're not invincible!" Rick then scolded Cameron as he got off of her.

"Just our luck," Owen cursed himself.

"Keep a level head," Rick reassured. "We need to get out of this alive!"

"How much ammo do you have?" Rick then asked the former agent.

"Only the clip in my service weapon." Ellison informed. "Not enough to take all of them on."

"Owen, what about you?" Rick then asked the blonde haired man.

"Only eight shells, and the few in my coat pocket."

"And you, Cameron?" Rick lastly asked.

"Enough." She blankly said. "I'm a good shot."

"Is there anything you're not good at?" Rick mockingly asked.

"Swimming."

Rick just nodded in acceptance and looked at his Python revolver. "I have six shots, plus a handful in my shirt pocket."

"Okay, so you and Cameron provide cover fire, while me and James make a run for the back?" Owen suggested.

"Good idea." Rick agreed. Both him and Cameron waited until everything went silent, meaning they had to reload their weapons.

Once the shooting died, Cameron and Rick jumped up from their hiding spots and began firing at the men across the street, giving Owen and Ellison the opportunity to make a run for it.

Rick managed to hit one on the shoulder, causing him to cry in pain; while Cameron managed to hit two in the neck and stomach. With the men reloaded, and their weapons empty, the men concentrated all of their fire at the bar window, where Cameron and Rick were located.

"Go!" Rick barked and pushed Cameron forward. The two bolted into the room where Rick closed and barricaded the door with a storage shelf. The door on the other side was opened, which led to outside. Once Rick and Cameron made their way out the back, they were met with even more gunfire, which forced them behind the dumpster next to them, where, Glenn, Ellison, and Owen were also located.

"Yeah, they have the place surrounded." Glenn gulped in fear as he tightly gripped his shotgun.

"Cameron, I think you know what you need to do." Ellison told the young girl. "We need to get out of here."

Cameron nodded and stood up, ready to take all of the men on. But instead of being met with gunfire like she expected, the gunshots didn't hit anywhere near them.

"Biters!" One man shouted.

Cameron looked to her far left and saw a horde of Walkers advancing towards the town. They must have heard the gunfire and pursued it for their evening meal.

Cameron saw one man running back to one of the trucks and shot him in the leg, causing him to stumble onto the ground. Three Walkers approached the man and fell to their knees, before feasting on the vulnerable man, and his screaming being heard for several meters away.

"We have to get out of here!" The men shouted as they ran to their trucks.

Suddenly a bullet flew next to Cameron's face, leaving a graze, and causing her to stumble back in surprise.

Cameron rose her gun and shot at the sniper on the roof, but missing the man and hitting the wall behind him. In fright, the sniper fell from the roof, and landed on a dumpster underneath, with another audible scream being heard.

The two trucks sped away from the scene, which gave the everyone a chance to emerge from cover.

"We need to leave now!" Owen said with seriousness as he looked around to see the hordes of Walkers nearing them.

The five began running around the block, back to their vehicle, until screaming was heard from the dumpster near them. There was a young man who looked no older than nineteen at most. His leg was impaled on a spiked fence.

"Please help me, please!" The young man pleaded.

"We have leave now!" Cameron barked in a blank expression.

"No, no, no, no, no, please don't leave me! Please!" The man begged. He saw Walkers from every direction getting closer and closer. He didn't want to be eaten.

Rick hesitated. He thought that leaving this man was too inhumane, but he did shoot at them. He was a threat. What did that make him then? He would be no better than these men. With a final decision made, Rick walked up to the man, and examined his leg.

"We should leave him. He's a threat." Cameron stated.

"We're not leaving a human being to die!" Rick snarled. "Now give me a hand, or we all die!"

Cameron reluctantly obeyed and began to study the wounded leg.

"If we try to rip it off, it'll tear a muscle and he'll bleed out." Cameron explained. She remembered seeing similar wounds to these back in the wastelands of post Judgement Day. Some debris that lied around would sometimes meet the leg or arm of a Resistance soldier.

"Can we amputate it?" Rick asked.

"Same outcome, possibly worse." Cameron responded.

"Guess we have no choice. Owen, cover his mouth!" Owen followed his orders and placed his palm over the young man's mouth. Both Cameron and Rick take hold of the man's leg and jolt it upwards, with his leg ripping free from the fence.

•••

 **Author's Note: Well, this wraps up yet another chapter. I guess we all saw Savannah's turn being inevitable, but as for Sophia dying the way she did. It's hard to just write such an innocent character die in such a brutal way.**

 **I wonder how Rick will view Owen, Cameron, and Ellison now. Who knows, maybe his view of John will be looked upon differently.**

 **Constructive criticism is gladly appreciated!**


	8. Chapter 8: Trust and Betrayal

**The Walking Dead: Termination Season 2**

 **Chapter 8: Trust and Betrayal**

 ** _Georgia, June 28, 2011: (18 Miles Out)_**

 _Silence. Once roads like this were busy. Cars drove along, with people doing their own business- whether that be going to work, school, or wherever else. Now, it lied baren like most of the world._

Across the vast Georgian fields, a lone vehicle drove along the asphalt road, heading towards its destination. The car kept driving until it came to a sudden halt near a four way stop.

Rick got out of the front driver's seat, followed by Shane getting out of the front passenger. Shane made his way towards the trunk of the vehicle; while Rick opened the back door and John Connor got out. This time he wasn't bound by cuffs or rope, which was relief for him, considering where they were. If they came under attack by Walkers, or people, it would be very difficult to fight back.

But for him, fighting back was still going to prove quite difficult. Rick still didn't trust him whatsoever, so in turn, John had no weapon. Not even a simple little knife for if situations got out of hand.

"So, why are we driving out so far?" John inquired. Since early this morning they had been on the road. He knew why they were doing it.

It was for the kid: Randle. He was seen as a far bigger threat to them after the town shootout that Rick and Cameron barely came back from.

"We need to make sure the kid doesn't find his people and leads them back to us." Rick answered. Two days ago, Cameron, Rick, Glenn,Ellison and Owen, had returned back to camp with a new arrival. A prisoner by the name of Randle. After informing everyone that he, along with the rest of his men, had shot at them, they wasted no time in throwing him in the shed. John was definitely happy that he no longer had to spend time in there anymore, otherwise he would have a roommate. A whiny roommate.

"So then, why bring me?" John then asked. "I thought you didn't trust me." He was still confused as to why Rick had stopped locking him up in that shed. He was allowed to sleep in his tent once again.

"James and Cameron pleaded for your innocence." Rick explained. "Even if they are your people, I'll give them the benefit of the doubt. But that doesn't mean _I_ Still trust you. You have to prove it to me."

"Okay?" John nodded in uncertainty. He then had another question. "What help am I anyway? I don't have a weapon or anything."

"That's the beauty of the whole situation." Shane spoke up as he strolled up to them. "You're gonna use your hands. Pull your weight if we find anything of value. Me and Rick are taking care of the kid."

"What do you plan on doing with him?" He knew Rick was above killing random people. He was dubbed the _good guy_ by Shane a few days ago, so that title had to hold up, right?

"We're setting him free when we get the chance." Rick answered. "After that, you are going to search the area and find anything useful." He then turned his attention to Shane. "He good?"

"Yeah, he is." Shane nodded in confirmation. "Just made sure his binds were still nice and tight."

"Good." Rick nodded in satisfactory. He didn't want this kid getting the drop on them when he was still driving. The last thing they needed was a dead body on their hands- whether that be him, or them.

"Let's just get this over with so we can get back." John muttered annoyingly as he got back into the back seat of the vehicle.

Rick and Shane knew that John didn't want to be here, but quite honestly, they didn't care.

"I still don't understand why you bring _him_." Shane whispered to Rick. "We coulda just left him in Owen and Alex's custody."

"As much as I would like to trust Alex that much, I can't with him. They are too close to each other." Rick explained simply. "Plus, making him work for his freedom is great community service. Maybe he'll learn something other than whining for once."

"What about after?" Shane then questioned. "When we are on the road again, how will we be able to manage him when we have to worry about watching everyone else's backs?"

"I'm still negotiating with Hershel-"

"Oh, come on, _Rick!_ " Shane scoffed unconvincingly. "When are you going to start seeing the reality of the situation? Hershel wants us gone. Outta here by the end of the week. We have no choice unless we forcibly take it from him. Tell him we are staying. We got the guns."

"Absolutely no way!" Rick argued in a stern tone. "What will that show him and his family? We are not savages!"

"There you go, again." Shane trailed off. "Rick, it ain't like it was before. You can't be the good guy. Not in this world. You do what is necessary to survive! To make sure Lori, and Carl survive!"

"Stop bringing my family into it like you always do!" Rick sneered. "That is my wife! That is my son!"

"I never said they were mine, man." Shane tried correcting, but was instantly cut off by Rick again.

"Oh, yeah?" He raised his eyebrow. "I know Shane. I know what happened between you two before I came along."

Shane's eyes widened in surprise at what he heard Rick say. He knew it all. His and Lori's relationship. "Look man-"

"I know. You and her thought I was dead. I don't blame you. I sometimes wonder how I made it out of that hospital in the first place. But that still doesn't change the fact that you betrayed me."

"When everything first went down, it was me who took care of her and Carl! Me!" Shane spat. "I loved her, and I'm just being honest. Everything was perfect before you came along. No Walkers had killed half of our people. No going into the city to disturb them in the first place! You ruined everything for me!"

"So you wished I was dead, huh?" Rick asked, already knowing the answer.

"I did." Shane admitted. "But that was before. After you made my life hell, I had to find another way. Another way that didn't involve hurting Lori, or Carl, or the rest of the group for that matter. Alex was the one who had provided me with that second option."

"I've noticed you and her have been more friendly, lately." Rick mentioned. He couldn't help but notice the smiles they'd exchange back at camp from time to time.

"I still love Lori, and Carl. I think of them as my own sometimes. But I had to learn when to back off. I know that they can never truly be mine. Because of Alex, she probably turned my mind away from a path I didn't want to go down."

"Lori's pregnant, you know?" Rick then revealed. It probably wasn't the best timing to reveal such an important matter, but he had to get it off his chest. Only very few knew. He knew Shane wasn't aware as far as his knowledge knew.

"And it's probably mine." Shane acknowledged and looked to the ground with guiltless.

"Yours or not, it's mine. It will always be mine." Rick explained. Despite the rage he clearly had in the inside, he appeared quite calm.

"I understand." Shane hesitantly agreed.

"Good." Rick responded with satisfaction. "We can talk about this more, later. We still have an errand to run." He then added before looking at the car behind them.

The two joined John, and Randle, and hopped back into the car, where they continued their journey to their destination.

"What took you guys so long?" John inquired curiously. He didn't hear the conversation that they had outside, but from the looks of their attitudes, it was very long and complicated.

"Just talking, that's all." Rick settled for answering. "Don't worry about it."

John wanted to interject, but decided that it probably wasn't the best idea. Rick and Shane didn't exactly have to come back with him either. They could have just told Cameron that he had ran off or something. He didn't know if she'd believe it, but there was always that possibility.

John looked out the window deep in thought. He was worried about Cameron. She was out patrolling when Rick and Shane had awoken him for this little mission, so Cameron didn't know where he was. Luckily he informed Owen to inform her on his whereabouts. Hopefully she wasn't worried about him.

 ** _Greene Farm:_**

"Cameron, don't worry, John's going to be fine." Owen tried reassuring. It wasn't working however. John and Alex had told him about her tendency to be stubborn, and he was currently experiencing the full wrath of it.

"I don't trust Rick. He might kill him." Cameron argued in a blank tone. She loaded a clip into her Glock handgun and placed the weapon in the waistband of her jeans. "I'm going to find him."

Owen scoffed. "Rick is too soft to kill anyone. Besides, you don't even know where they went."

Cameron tilted her head to the side. "Rick shot Dave. Remember?"

"In self defense, Cameron." Owen said with a raised voice. "Look, John didn't want you to worry about him, so why don't you believe him?" Cameron ignored Owen and walked out of the tent, forcing him to follow. Luckily as they exited, Alex was walking by, holding a pail of water. "Alex, thank God! Cameron here, wants to go find John, and I can't seem to change her mind."

Alex nodded and placed the pail on the ground, before turning her attention to the young cyborg.

"Cameron. You know that's a bad idea."

"Why?" Cameron tilted her head again. "I can handle myself out there."

"You know that's not what I meant." Alex shook her head in disagreement. "I trust Rick, alright? If I were you I'd do the same. At least try."

Cameron gave Alex a piercing glare, before she turned on her heels and started walking off towards the barn. Anything was better than having to stand in a tent for hours at a time. She would usually just sit and stare out of the tent's window mesh, and would study the group's behavior. It was either that or walking around the perimeter, making sure it was safe and secure. She didn't want any Walkers getting to the group- John in particular.

From Alex's view, Cameron appeared to be acting her physical looking age. A teenager who hated being told what to do.

As Cameron walked by the farm house, she overheard Hershel, and Maggie; arguing with James Ellison, Glenn, and Dale.

There were still some arguments that were to be had by Hershel and wanting them off the farm, but Rick had tried reasoning for them to at _least_ prepare before they left. Hershel was reluctant in their pleading, but agreed. It was only humane.

"I gave Rick my word. I'm giving you all two days, to leave."

"Please Hershel, you've seen it yourself. Children died here just a few days ago." Dale argued. "We won't last long at all out there."

"I said my mind was made up!" Hershel snapped. This wasn't the first time Dale had brought this up. Even before Jimmy was murdered and he was contemplating on letting them stay, Dale always pushed it. "First you let that John boy free, but you expect me to _let you stay_?"

"Mister Greene. With all due respect, John is innocent." Ellison replied.

"Oh that just changes my mind, don't it?" Hershel sarcastically scoffed.

"I used to be an FBI agent. I followed his mother's case for years, and not once was he ever convicted of a crime. Even his mother was innocent. I didn't choose to believe it till later."

"This is my property and I feel more safe without you all here." Hershel persistently said. "I'm sorry Mister Ellison, but just because you're a man of the law, doesn't mean it changes my mind." Hershel turned around and went back inside, slamming the door shut.

"Maggie, can you please talk to him?" Glenn asked.

"I'll do my best, but he doesn't listen to me either." Maggie forced a smile. From the distance, Cameron could see the looks that Glenn and Maggie gave each other. It was reminiscent to the ones her and John gave one another.

With Maggie walking back inside in pursuit of talking to her father, Ellison, Glenn and Dale walk away from the house and up to Cameron, whom was soon joined by Alex and Owen.

"Guess we're going to have to be prepared." Ellison sighed in disappointment. Everyone sadly nodded in agreement. They weren't keen on leaving. Even if Glenn had faith in Maggie trying to get through to her father, he knew that it wasn't a for sure deal. It was very possible that Hershel would still be as stubborn and force them off of his property.

"Do we have any options on where to go next?" Owen mentioned. "I mean shouldn't we all have a decision on where we go next?"

"Fort Benning is out of the question, sadly." Ellison sighed. "There is nowhere else, to my knowledge."

"We could always hide underground." Alex nonchalantly suggested. It wouldn't be that bad of an option too. Underground tunnels were the best places to hide from machines in the future. But the undead were known for being unpredictable. More so than that of a hyper intelligent AI. That's what made them more terrifying.

"Unless this was L.A, I don't think we really get that kinda choice out here." Ellison shook his head in disagreement.

"I wouldn't count our chickens just yet, we still have a few days to persuade Hershel. We just have to make him see what is truly out there. Since he believes that Walkers are just sick people." Dale explained in an enthusiastic manner. "I believe if we all talk to him, maybe it'll work."

"We could kill him if it's necessary." Cameron opinionatedly stated.

"No, we're not going to do that, because that's not who we are." Alex sternly hissed at Cameron.

"Alex is right, Cameron. We are no better than those guys back in town if we were to even consider doing that." Ellison agreed.

"If there is no way we're not leaving this farm, then I guess we should be prepared to leave at a moments notice." Dale explained. He definitely didn't want to leave, but he definitely didn't want to disrespect Hershel's wishes either.

"We'll be fine." Alex assured. "There has to be other places right? If Fort Benning is out of the question, then maybe there is another military base nearby? One that's still operational, perhaps?"

"The closest one is _Robins Air Force Base_ , but that's almost two hundred miles in the opposite direction." Cameron stated. She was about to give a future history lesson about _Robins_ becoming an HK factory, but decided against it upon remembering that others were present and didn't know anything about the alternate timeline.

If not for them changing it, everything they saw right now wouldn't be there. It would be gone. Wiped out by the nuclear bombs that Skynet would've used, upon becoming aware, and targeting humanity. Luckily, that was no longer the case, but the dead wasn't exactly a step up in the direction of humanity's prosperity, either.

 ** _18 Miles Out:_**

After driving a few more miles, the vehicle came to another stop right next to a small abandoned town. Rick was satisfied enough that it would be a decent location to both scavenge and let their little prisoner free. It was perfect. The three exited the vehicle; with Shane grabbing Randle from the trunk. They began to make their way up a hill, where they came across an old warehouse.

By the looks of the warehouse, it appeared to be in use before the end of the world. It was cordoned off with a chain linked fence, therefore making getting in or out extremely difficult.

"We need to start using our knives more. If there's one of them, we shouldn't waste the ammunition." Rick mentioned. He grabbed hold of the chain link fence and began shaking it vigorously. The sound had drawn two Walkers towards them, where they began pushing up against the fence, trying to mindlessly attack. By the looks of their uniforms, the Walker's appeared to be guards. Well at least they use to be.

Rick holstered his Python revolver and pulled out a small pocket knife. He then thrusted the blade through the fence and into the Walker's forehead, killing it instantly. Shane repeated Rick's actions with the same Walker.

With it as safe as they were comfortable with, John handed Rick a pair of bolt cutters, in which he began slicing a hole for them to enter through.

Once inside the loading dock of the warehouse, Rick and Shane began to observe their surroundings. There were some scattered abandoned vehicles; as well as a pile of burnt corpses in the field not too far from them. There was an old school bus that was parked at the far end, out in the open.

Shane went inside, where he was greeted with what appeared to be someone's makeshift home. When Shane left the bus' interior, he failed to notice a head peek out from one of the back seats.

And John kept an eye on Randle, as Rick and Shane had searched the area. Luckily it was quiet and there were no signs of Walkers outside. None that would get the drop on them that is. The inside of the structure was a whole different story. For all they know, a whole hoard of them could be inside, waiting for them. Or it could be empty. But with Walkers being in the most unpredictable of places, they decided not to discredit the possibility just yet.

With the whole area clear, Rick and Shane took watch over the prisoner once again and had ordered John to look through some the vehicles to see if maybe he could find anything useful. Despite it only being towards the end of July, Georgia was known to sometimes get cold rather quickly. They needed to prepare ahead of time for the coming winter, because otherwise, it could be catastrophic for the group. With no home they needed to be prepared for the worst.

Shane and Rick came across a pile of leftover canned food that more or less looked particularly fresh. "By the looks of this place, someone must've been holding out here." Shane mentioned.

"Those two guards maybe." Rick agreed. He knelt down and picked up one of empty tin cans and sniffed inside. It didn't have that rancid smell of food that had been sitting for awhile, nor was it dry inside.

This place looked like it had been abandoned for some time, so it didn't make sense as to why fresh eaten food was still present. Rick looked back up at Shane who was still holding Randle by the arm, and gave him a concerned look that didn't need words to describe the confusion that he had.

The two suddenly jolted into attention when they had heard a scream and glass shattering, come from not too far away. It sounded like John's. The two quickly rushed their way towards the source of the sound to aid John for whatever reason.

•••

John walked between cars, taking anything that seemed valuable and stuffed it into his bag. He managed to find some bags of potato chips that were freshly sealed, and had found several water bottles in a small crate near an old tow truck. So far this place didn't have much in terms of food, but there was plenty of clothes. Whoever was previously here had left plenty of winter coats and blankets. They would surely come in to use later, so John stuffed as much as he could fit into the bag. Luckily it was a bigger sized one, or else none of the things he had found would've fit.

He knew Rick and Shane were off somewhere else, finding the perfect spot to let their prisoner free. Even though John technically was no longer a prisoner, he hated Rick for locking him up like how Randle was. They beat him like he threatened their lives. Cameron told him that they could've just left Randle, but chose to save him. His punishment was having Shane and Daryl beat the ever living God out of him for information that they didn't need. Even if Randle did shoot at them, it wasn't like he was killing them for the hell of it. It was just survival. He didn't have a choice but to defend his fellow survivors.

But in reality, John could somewhat connect with the Randle. He was just a kid that was no younger than he was. If time travel didn't didn't come into play that is. He'd be almost in his thirties by now if it weren't for being forced to time jump from 1999 to 2007 because of a terminator.

He would love to be up to par with everyone else in the group in terms of how they viewed him. They viewed him as they did Amy. A young teenager who had didn't do much for the group. He was older beyond his physical years. If anything he sometimes had as much wisdom as Dale in terms of how life was sacred and how humanity should be kept a part of themselves. But with Alex's reluctance to leave the group, if he wanted any amount of respect from anyone, he'd have to work for it. Prove to those that he wasn't Jimmy's killer. That he was innocent.

John broke away from his deep thoughts and went back to searching for more useful items. He could no longer afford to stare off into space like he used to. It could prove very dangerous to do that out here.

Wanting to look through a few more vehicles before heading back to Rick, John walked over to the bus that Shane had checked and had stepped inside. He was curious to see what kind of stuff he could find inside. If he was lucky, maybe something that he could give Cameron as a small gift. She had gone through a lot in the last few weeks, and needed something she could take a liking to, besides a purple leather jacket that was faded from the years she had it, and a handgun. He remembered Derek mentioning about how he had caught her dancing in her room one time, but he personally never saw it. It was something she solemnly did, especially now with how the world was. The fact that the dead now walked in a world where the machines were supposed to, still was very strange for him. A world that was and will always be full of death.

John walked down the aisle of the bus, careful to make sure a Walker wasn't between or under the seats. So far there was very little to be found in the bus. John wanted to give up searching every seat, but knew he had to keep pushing. How else was he going to earn respect from Rick and the rest of the group? Being lazy surely wasn't going to do that job.

He made his way to the last set of seats where he peered over and saw a body curled up between the last seat. John recoiled slightly but took one more look. The clothes were fairly dirty. Not bloody, or torn. But just dirty. He also couldn't see the face besides the bare feet. By the looks of the build, John assumed that it was a skinny caucasian man. His skin was very pale so that led him to believe that whoever it was, probably died. Maybe of starvation or something else. He definitely didn't want to aggravate it if this man was dead. The possibility of him being a Walker was a fairly high chance.

John turned around and made his way back towards the entrance of the bus. But before he could even take a single step, two very skinny arms wrapped around John's neck, and pulled him back. Panic began to take hold as he thought a Walker had grabbed him and he was about to be its lunch.

But what surprised John was that when he fell between one of the seats, a figure had jumped above him and had aimed a knife straight at him. John recognized it as the man who was in the seat behind him. He didn't look dead, but didn't have any muscle whatsoever. His face was also covered in a thick dark brown beard.

"You!" He spat. "Give me all of your shit! Now!"

John slowly raised his hands in surrender. "Put the knife down, please." He tried reasoning.

"I said, give me all of your shit!" He spat again.

"I have people here with me. If you kill me, they'll surely kill you." John tried reasoning once more. At least he hoped Rick would care enough to avenge him. With no Cameron present, he knew that relying on her wasn't an option. One misstep and he could be dead fairly quickly. Being gutted by a malnourished looking man didn't seem like the best way to go either.

"You killed them!" The man hastily inquired. He then aimed closer to John's neck with the sharp blade.

"No! We didn't!" John exclaimed. "I don't know what you are talking about!"

"Liar!" The man snarled. "You are, I've seen what they do!" The man began laughing uncontrollably which brought some fright into John. This man was completely insane. "They come, they pillage, and they take!"

With the man lost in his monologuing, John managed to free his right foot, and kicked the man in the stomach, causing him to fly into the seat opposite of John's.

John then got back up onto his feet and began running towards the exit. He had no weapon, and therefore, he could not protect himself. The one time he needed a single weapon and Rick or Shane couldn't give him one. Not even a simple pocket knife. All because of their mistrust in him.

As John neared the exit, the man had ready recovered from John's kick and had already closed the distance between them. He tackled John, which caused John to first hit the glass window and then the man shoved him out through the sliding doors where he landed on the concrete below.

Dazed from his sudden fall, John tried getting back up but was immediately jumped upon by the man once more.

"I can't let you warn your friends. Not this time!" The man turned John around, so John could look him in the eyes. The man kept babbling while he rose the knife above John, like he planned on sacrificing him.

John frantically used his free arm to feel for anything that he could use, but was unsuccessful. He knew this was it. He was going to die. He couldn't even begin to imagine what Cameron would go through upon learning of what happened. Would she blame Rick? Would she go on a homicidal killing spree? He would probably never find out.

But then, he felt something as his hand continued to aimlessly feel for something of use. He found a large boulder that was small enough for him to grab.

With John facing reality once again, and pushing those thoughts of Cameron to the back of his mind, he immediately swung the rock where it hit the man on the side of the head. The man fell off of him, and landed on the side.

John got back up on his feet and looked over the man who was still very conscious, but bleeding from the side of the head.

The man unexpectedly recovered from John's attack, and launched towards him, all while aimlessly swinging the sharp blade. John managed to dodge almost every single one of his attacks, until a vertical slash had grazed the left side of his cheek, followed by a horizontal slash. Stunned by the stinging pain, the man then grabbed John and threw him towards a sedan, in which his head had cracked the driver side window. The man the came up to John and bashed his head entirely through it.

Rick and Shane immediately rushed toward the sound and found a bloody John being held by knifepoint, by the very skinny, bearded man.

"Get any closer, and I'll kill your friend!" The man snarled as he pressed the knife tighter against John's neck.

By what Rick could see, John didn't look too good. He had two bleeding cuts that were close to his eye, and the top of his head was bloody.

"Easy," Rick held up his hands in surrender. He knew how this was going to go down. He needed to heed this man's warning. But Shane apparently had other intentions, as he showed no signs of lowering his shotgun. "Shane."

"Let the kid go, and maybe we'll help you out." Shane ignored Rick's warning.

"You'll just kill me like you did the rest!" The man argued.

"Us?" Both Rick and Shane inquired.

"We didn't do this. We were here just scavenging some supplies. We didn't mean no harm." Rick attempted reasoning. In order for the man to let go of John, Rick knew he needed to pull out an old page from the book. One that has been used in his countless arrests before the world ended up twisted and deluded. "How about we let the boy go, and we can talk like how it was before. There still has to be that bit of humanity in us, don't you think?"

Rick began to slowly but cautiously advance towards the man, while keeping his revolver ready at his side, just in case. One false move, one tiny mistake, could turn this day into a tragedy. Two girls had died only days prior, and Rick didn't want another dead group member to deal with. It wasn't worth it.

Once Rick was within arms reach, he extended his hand for the skinny man to take, implying that he really didn't intend to harm him at all. The man hastily looked at Rick's extended arm and then at John, deciding what to choose.

He didn't know what to expect if he chose to trust Rick. A man he didn't know. The same thing for Rick. He was bargaining with someone potentially dangerous. Someone unpredictable.

The man made his choice and shoved John towards Rick, violently. When John collided with him, he stumbled back and also knocked into Shane and Randall, causing them to fall to the ground with them.

Just as Rick fell, his Python had fallen out of his holster and landed right in front of the man, in which he responded by picking it up and running off with it. Shane was the first to get back up and began to sprint after the man with rage.

Shane had caught up to him, where he cornered him between an alleyway. The only way out, was either through the glass window that had a makeshift stairway, made of boxes and trash; or through the chain link fence that was covered above in barbed wire.

"You have nowhere to go, shithead!" Shane blared as he aimed at the man with intent. In fear the man aimed at Shane, which forced Shane to shoot him in the gut, causing his aim to misdirect and the bullet shattered the window on Shane's right.

The man began gurgling blood as he laughed in pain. He bent down to pick up Rick's revolver, as he stood above the badly wounded man. "You are one crazy mother f-"

Shane's snarky sentence was cut short when he heard faint growling that grew louder by the second. He his head turned and he saw a horde of Walkers step through the glass window and began to pursue him.

"You are going to get it now!" The man said between laughs. Shane quickly turned and bolted down the alleyway, away from the horde that had stopped do feast on what was left on the crazy man.

As Shane bolted, he ran into Rick, John, and Randle, who had recovered and sought to aid him with this crazy man. But what they were greeted with, was over a dozen Walkers chasing Shane. "Go!" He barked loudly. "Run!"

The three didn't need to be told twice, and turned the other way, and ran as fast as they could, with Randle being behind them, due to his leg injury.

Suddenly, another glass window behind them shattered, with even more Walkers pouring out onto the loading dock. The three immediately made a run for the exit they created, only just remembering to grab Randle last second and drag him along with them. When they made it to the cut chain linked fence that they had used earlier, the Walker's were already on them, which forced them all to scatter in opposite directions.

Shane had made a run for the closest place that he could, and jumped in the school bus. The place where this unfortunate set of events originated from. He forcibly closed the sliding door and held it shut, just as a large band of Walkers had started pushing up against it, growling violently.

Randle and John had jumped into a truck bed, where their own horde had surrounded them, with the same thing in mind that Shane was going through.

Rick couldn't find a place to hide however. He was running between cars, trying to evade the dead by all costs. But eventually, he came to a sudden halt, near the truck that John and Randle resided on, and was surrounded by four Walkers whom had lurched and fell on top of him.

Rick had managed to shoot two of them, but the dead weight had disabled him from aiming and firing off one more shot at the remaining two. The farthest Walker's arm had randomly swung and had knocked the Python straight out of Rick's hand, and causing the weapon to land a few feet away.

"Oh, no!" Randle breathed heavily. "We're trapped! What are we gonna do?"

"Shut up!" John barked. He began to study his surroundings. _What would Cameron do?_

He closed his eyes and began to formulate a plan.

 _Only a few yards away, there is the entrance in the fence. A few yards east, is Shane in the bus. And a few feet away, is Rick. Mission priority. Save Rick. Get the hell out of here. Retrieve the car, and drive back in to save Shane. Sounds easy enough, right?_

John looked at the ground, next to Rick and saw his gun that was within reach.

"Okay," John said as he turned to Randle. "When I say so, I want you to lead the Walkers away from this truck, and make your way to that car," He pointed at the grey sedan across from them. "Over there, can you do that?" Randle nodded in agreement. "Good. Once me and Rick are free, we are coming back for you and Shane."

Randle got into position, and awaited John's signal.

"Now!" John barked.

Once John, gave the go ahead, Randle, jumped as far as he could, over the small horde of Walkers, and tumbled on the ground behind them. Some had instantly chased after him, while some had still had their attention focused on John.

"Hey, lamebrains!" Randle waved his arms frantically, as he crawled back onto his feet.

Each and every Walker had lost interest in John and started to go after Randle. With them now all distracted, John hopped off of the truck, and picked up the revolver, and took aim at the remaining two Walkers and fired off two perfect shots that killed them both.

Rick sighed in relief, and John helped push the bodies off of his person. "Thanks, John."

"No problem." John smirked proudly.

Behind John, Rick saw three Walkers sneak up behind him. "Move!" He shouted as he pushed John to the side, and fired off the remaining three shots at the Walkers.

"Thanks." John chuckled. He took one glance at the fence which was clear of any Walkers. "Follow me." With all said and done, John, and Rick made a beeline for the hole in the fence and ran from the scene, where they retrieved their vehicle, and had rode in to save Shane and their prisoner, before hurting through the fence and driving down the long stretch of road.

•••

It was silent for awhile in the car. Shane, and Randle were in the back; while John was driving and Rick was in the seat next to him. They were all still breathing heavily from the close encounter, but were glad to make it out in piece, more or less.

Rick noticed the cuts on John's face again, and particularly, his head. Some fragments of glass were still stuck in his hair, and even the wound he sustained.

"Are you alright?" Rick asked, pointing at John's head with his forefinger.

John chuckled. "Yeah, actually. I am. Isn't the first time I was thrown through glass."

"Guess we're going to have to sit around the campfire one day and actually exchange stories, huh?" Shane also chuckled.

"I guess so." Rick gave a good heartfelt laugh. You could say it was the shock of almost dying that made them a bit delusional, considering none of them got along very well. But the fact that they just barely escaped death, gave them another outlook on their recent actions. Made them see something that they'd fail to notice this whole time.

They didn't abandon each other. They didn't leave anyone for dead. They aided one another in staying alive.

"I am sorry, John." Rick sincerely apologized. "I still don't know who was responsible for Jimmy's murder, but I no longer think it was you. You saved not just my life, but Shane's as well. And for that, I thank you. It still could be a while before I can fully trust you, but today was a major step up in that direction."

John looked at Rick with his mouth agape. He couldn't believe that he was actually admitting something that he was reluctant on from the start. Actually apologizing for his mistake. John definitely took satisfaction in that and replayed it in his head. Things were finally starting to go his way for once in his life. Ever since the world became like it was now, today marked change.

He was ready to see what the next few days, even the next few months held for him. As long as he had Cameron and Alex by his side, as well as the group he was now with. He was ready to face any storm that krept its way to them.

 ** _Greene Farm:_**

Back at the camp, it was for the most part, the same. Everyone went about their business, either helping with laundry duty, cooking over the fire, or just keeping watch over camp, to make sure Walkers weren't going to get the drop on them. With Savannah finding her way here, they had a feeling that Walkers were getting more and more unpredictable.

Owen sat at one of the picnic tables, cleaning some of the group's rifles. For him it was a fairly simple task. One that just required some common sense and some sort of skill. It wasn't all easy however. Putting them back together was the hard part.

"Hello." Dale greeted as he took a seat opposite of Owen and removed his cap.

"Hi." Owen acknowledged and went back to focusing on putting back together, his rifle.

"So, I been meaning to ask." Dale began. Owen sighed, knowing that he was going to receive another lecture from the elderly man. "What do you think Rick is planning to do with that boy?"

"Let him go is what John told me. They don't want him coming back with those men who attacked us." Owen answered. "Why are we having this conversation, Dale?" He then inquired.

"Just want another opinion, is all." Dale rubbed the top of his balding head. "After the camp in Atlanta, I just don't really trust Shane's intentions. I saw him act out in attempting to kill Rick."

"So you think Shane plans on killing both Rick and Randle? Possibly, John, too?" Owen clarified. Dale simply nodded. "It doesn't make much sense, considering I never saw them act out on each other. Sorry, Dale, but I have a hard time seeing Shane do something like that. Even Alex says he's been acting different. A good different."

"I wish she would heed my warning and stay away from him." Dale mumbled and looked away.

"Stop worrying about me, Dale." Alex intervened as she walked up the two sitting at the table.

"I'm just trying to look out for you, Alex. I don't like Shane."

"Well it's none of your business on who I like and don't like." Alex argued. "I'm sorry, but I am old enough to make my own decisions." _A bit too old as a matter of fact._

"Anyway have any of you seen Cameron? I found her purple jacket in my tent and I wanted to give it back."

"Why so intent in on returning her jacket?" Owen inquired. "Why don't you just leave it in her tent?"

"You wouldn't believe how much she loves this jacket. If anyone else were to lay a hand on it, you would probably lose it." Alex chuckled.

"So I can't touch it at all?" Owen inquired, in which Alex responded with a simple nod.

Owen couldn't help randomly glance past Alex's waist, as something had caught his eye, and he looked out into the distance, where the barn was in clear view. There, he saw a figure disappear into the brush. But before they were entirely gone, he had a clear view at who it was.

"I think I know where she is."

Before Alex could even say anything, Owen had grabbed an already cleaned handgun and stormed off in the direction of the barn. Alex was beyond confused but dismissed it when Dale stood back up and spoke to her with a bright smile.

"So, that's Cameron's favorite jacket?" He asked curiously. Such fashion sense seemed to be rare to him in the coming days of the apocalypse.

"Yeah, it is. She's had this thing for years." Alex explained. She could already remember the simple days when Cameron first wore it. Way before it became as faded and torn as it was now. She never washed the coat either, so it had that certain smell to it, mixed with the old perfume she also liked wearing.

•••

Owen followed Cameron's trail into the forest, where he saw her very far off, before losing her once more. It was hard to see in the area they were at. It was only half past five o'clock, and there was still a few hours of daylight left, but it was still very dim. The thick trees made it difficult to see beyond twelve feet.

 _Okay, so what is she doing out here? I hope she's not going after John. She knows it's dangerous. But then again, John did say she was stubborn as hell._

Owen kept tailing her, making sure to take the percussion with every step, to try and not spook or startle her. If she did know it was him, she would most likely run away. She probably didn't want to deal with anyone telling her to stay put again.

Eventually, after much hiking, making sure Cameron didn't leave his sights, yet staying far enough away, she came to a sudden halt in an open field, which prompted Owen to take cover behind a bush.

With how long he was following her, he guessed that they were already six miles away from the farm. He wondered why she was out here all alone. More in particular, why did she stop here, in this field?

He just observed as Cameron had looked up at the sun for a brief moment and then back down at the tall grass that hid most of her lower body. The sun had made her hair glow a very light, almost carmel color, as the wind had lightly made it flow backwards. But why was she just relishing in the sun? Especially here? This place had no significance. Did it?

Owen fell lost in her beauty. Her small petite figure, the flowing dark chestnut brown hair, and her eyes. Those dark brown pools that he adored when he first met her in Alabama, a little over a week ago.

With the way things were now, someone like Cameron seemed nonexistent. Like she was an angel that descended from Heaven.

 _Come on Owen! Why not talk to her? If you have her alone, maybe this is your chance to get to know her. To truly know her._

 _But she likes John... You can tell by when those two talk…. How they look at each other. But maybe..._

Owen took another glance at her notice that she had sat down and started playing with the long vines of the tall grass. Just barely, enough for him to see the upper half of her body. She never really did anything like that. She mostly walked, fed horses, or just stood inside her tent. He had to admit she was an odd one at times, but that's what he adored about her. Those simple shy actions, mixed with that stoicism, was like a drug to him.

He couldn't believe that he was in competition with John, currently. She was still a teenager as far as he knew, but then again, the age of consent probably ended when the world did.

John was already nineteen, and he had told him that she was around his age too. So the age of consent didn't matter anyway. But she still cared for him a lot. That bond between them was almost unbreakable. He needed to somehow influence her. Make her see who he truly is.

Who knows, maybe she would have a change of heart?

Suddenly Owen's thoughts abruptly came to a halt when he saw two figures emerge near Cameron. Judging by their posture, their limping, and their sound; he definitely could tell that they were Walkers.

Owen stood up and drew the hand gun that he'd brought and took one step forward, prepared to rush to her aid and take down the dead.

He even started to imagine how grateful she would be. He thought that maybe Cameron would see him as her savior and begin to feel something for him? Maybe, or maybe not, but he had to save her anyway. He just hoped that she would like him more.

Right when Owen emerged from the bush, he noticed one Walker go flying up three feet into the air before disappearing in the brush below. He then saw Cameron jump up onto her feet and grab one Walker by the shoulders before throwing it in the same place where the other one landed.

Owen was beyond confused. Even a bit scared. This petite girl just took down two Walkers. Two reanimated corpses that only killed.

What happened next, only brought absolute fear into him. Something that brought chills down his spine. One Walker had managed to scratch her very deep within her wrist.

What he saw was a glimmer of something shiny and metallic.

Cameron had grabbed one of the Walker's by the throat and ripped it's head clean off of its body, before tossing it to the side like it was nothing. Only blood had covered her entire body as some had splashed on her torso and face.

The best Owen could describe what he saw was… was something godly, maybe? No human could do what Cameron just did. Not even the strongest person in the world could have just done that. And that glimmer of metal. Was it metal to begin with? Who was Cameron Baum, really? What was she?

Owen couldn't explain what he saw. He surely didn't want to believe it. But there was no mistaking what he saw. He knew it wasn't some mirage- some type of hallucination. It real. Very real.

Owen began to trail off, as something inside him had emerged. A memory. One that he thought he'd forgotten by now.

 ** _San Antonio, Texas, January 29, 1991_**

 ** _1:19 am_**

 _It was a quiet night. Inside of the household, each and every room was in pitch blackness. Nothing could be seen, aside from the moonlight that shone through the windows. At the end of the house, in a small room, a little boy slept peacefully in his bed. Little toy race cars littered the floor and the walls were painted in dark blue._

 _A quiet and peaceful night It was. Nothing seemed like it would occur._

 _Suddenly, a crash could be heard and the boy was instantly awoken, as he had jolted up into sitting position and was breathing very heavily. It was silent for another few seconds, before another loud crash had erupted, followed by a loud high pitched female scream._

 _It wasn't until the second crash, that the boy jumped off of the bed, and up onto his feet, where he then rushed out of his room, and down the hall._

 _He kept running until he came to a stop in the living room, where a large black man had stood in front of him. His size towered the boy greatly, as the boy was forced to look up with fright._

 _In the large man's hand, was his father. His hand was grasped around the his throat, as he tried ever so desperately to free himself. But it didn't give. The large man's hand could be best described as hard as stone. Nothing could move the tight hold it had on him._

" _Owen…. Run." The man pleaded with a murmur before a loud snap was heard, and his body went limp. The man dropped the boy's father, and he fell to the ground with a loud thud._

 _The boy started to slowly back away from the man as tears had started trailing down his face, and his whimpers being heard._

" _Stay away from him, you fucking Metal bastard!" A woman snarled as she had emerged from the hallway with a shotgun in hand, and had fired off a slug into the man's face._

 _But the man didn't move. Instead he stumbled back and looked at the woman with a glowing red eye. The eye of the devil. The dim glowing light that emitted from the eye. The man simply took one step and slapped the shotgun out of the woman's hand and had too grabbed her by the throat._

" _Selena Walker?" The man inquired._

" _Do it, you bloody machine! I will never tell you where Sarah Connor is!" The woman spat into the machine's face. The machine didn't flinch, and instead, just tilted it's head._

 _She turned her head ever so slightly and looked down at her son with tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry, Owen. I love-"_

 _Then, another loud snap was heard and the woman fell limp before being dropped onto the floor, near her husband._

 _The machine walked over the two bodies and towards Owen, until he stood only within inches away from him, and looked down at the young boy. The machine analyzed him for a long moment, deciding whether or not it should bother with him, before he stoically looked back up and walked the other direction. He stood there till it was gone. He hoped it was a nightmare. That maybe it was over. But it wasn't. He looked down at both of his parent. They were gone. Lifeless._

 _With the intruder gone, Owen ran to his mother and fell to his knees, where he began to cry into her chest. His family was destroyed. All by something he didn't understand._

He know understood.

Owen's fist clenched tightly together as he had broken away from those vivid, sad memories, and looked at Cameron. But this time. Not with fear or timidness; but anger and despair. She was one of them. A machine like his mother had mentioned before her death. She somehow knew who that man was. What he was.

It was a machine, a killer. One that had killed his mother and father that night. The thing that made him an orphan in an instant. The thing that caused him so much pain, so much misery growing up, that he had essentially became a loner because of it. Because of something as similar to her had killed his parents, he would never got to have his mother's affection. Have his father teach him how to shave, or play sports. Because of it, his life was fucked up and there was no changing it. That was unforgivable.

Owen thought about shooting at Cameron for the pain her kind caused her. Even going as far as to draw the handgun he'd brought. But if his long term memory told him anything important on that tragic night. One important lesson. Not even a shotgun was capable of taking her down.

 _It,_ Owen corrected himself.

He placed the weapon back in the waistband of him jeans and slowly backed away, careful to not draw a single sound from his footsteps. He continued that routine until he was far enough away that he could slip away and make his way back to the farm.


	9. Chapter 9: A New Threat

**The Walking Dead: Termination Season 2**

 **Chapter 9: A New Threat**

 _Stay away from him!_

 _Owen looked around him as all he saw were trees. Nothing could be seen other than the Pines and Oaks of the Georgian forest, and the sky was visibly darker than natural. It had a purple dim to it as if it was beginning to set. But no sunset looked like that. The sky never became a dark purple. At least not this type of purple. They were always orange and yellow, and dark blue, sometimes with a tint of purple. But not just pure purple. The sun was also missing. But how?_

 _Run, Owen!_

 _Owen jerked his head instantly as that scream had reoccurred. The voice sounded oddly familiar. Like he had heard it before. But it was faint. Very distant where he couldn't make out the exact details. The fact that the voice seemed to be echoing throughout the forest didn't seem to help him find the direction of the source either._

 _This way, Owen._

 _The voice suddenly became clear, and a long dirt path had suddenly formed in front of him. He hadn't seen it before, so why was it here now?_

 _Owen began to slowly follow where the path led. To him it seemed like hours. It just kept going with what seemed like no end. His attention became lost in the sky. The purple dim that was there was now just a void of pitch blackness. But yet, for some reason… he could still see?_

 _It was already dark out, so why could he still somehow see as if it were clear as day? Yet beyond the treeline- he couldn't see._

 _Owen looked away from the sky and turned his attention back onto the path, when he heard a loud crunch underneath his feet. His gaze fixed onto the ground where he was greeted with a pile of charred wood in a pile of ash._

 _He then looked straight ahead and saw the Greene barn. But the barn was ablaze, and fire had engulfed every square inch of the structure._

 _Owen backed away and turned around. He saw the farmhouse surrounded by Walkers, and the RV was flipped over in between him and the house. Desperate to find any help, Owen broke out into a sprint and ran back to where camp was set up._

 _When he arrived, all he saw were bodies. The bodies of the people whom he knew over the past few weeks. Dale, Amy, Morales, Shane, T-Dog, Rick, Glenn, Carl, Ellison, Carol, John, Alex and Lori. Most of which he had begun to consider his friends. But now….. they all laid in the dirt, as their blank eyes stared into nothingness._

 _But that wasn't it. Owen saw something worse. Far worse._

 _Above the dead corpses of his friends, was one individual in particular. The one whom he feared? Hated? He wasn't sure how he'd explain his new found emotions for her, but it wasn't happiness._

 _Cameron stood above everyone. Her body visibly torn to shreds by bullet fire. The still lit campfire surely revealed that. But what was more horrifying, was that when she had turned to face him, all he saw from her was half of the girl he thought he knew, and the other half was the true thing he now knew who she was. What it was. Fake._

 _Cameron took one step forward, and had begun to limp towards him, with her bright red orb, glowing brighter and brighter. She had targeted him._

 _Owen turned and began to ran with all of his might. He needed to get as far from the machine as he could. But he could not. No matter how much he ran- no matter how much he tried, he couldn't seem to run fast enough. His endurance seemed to falter at a time that he wished, wouldn't. He grew more tired by the second but it seemed as if he wasn't getting very far, very fast._

 _Eventually, Cameron caught up with him, and had grabbed him by the jacket collar, before tossing him backwards like he were a small animal being put in his place._

 _His breathing became heavy as all he could do was look up at the machine who wore a beautiful girls face._

" _Owen Walker?" Cameron inquired with a blank tone and tilt of her head._

" _Do it, you dumb machine! Just like you did with my mother and father!" Owen snarled._

 _Cameron heeded his request and took out her favorite handgun, and aimed between Owens eyes. She pulled the trigger and everything went black in an instant._

 _ **Georgia, July 6, 2011: (Greene Farm)**_

Owen jerked wide awake, and sat up. He frantically looked at his surroundings, as sweat had dribbled down his forehead. He reached for a handgun under his pillow, only to find that there wasn't one.

He almost forgot Rick didn't allow anyone to carry a firearm around camp. All because of _Hershel Greene_ being afraid. Being afraid that they could take his farm away from him.

Owen looked down at his small digital watch only to see that it was only ten o'clock at night. He had only been asleep for thirty minutes, as he tried to get some early rest. He didn't know how long he would have to go without sleeping. He wasn't sure if he'd sleep at all with the machine that was in the tent across from his.

That dream surely made sure that he wouldn't be able to go back to sleep. Now he wasn't sure if he had gone back to sleep, what would he wake up to next? Cameron standing at the edge of his cot ready to snuff him in an instant? He couldn't let his guard down any longer. Too long has he been letting her slide freely.

She was a potential threat to not just him, but the entire camp. But What about John? What of him? He was very close with her. So close that he probably knew what she was. His mother was in fact the very psycho that ranted about machine that were sent back through time to kill her and her son.

Owen could think back to when he was put into his first foster home. There, they had a computer where he wanted to find out more on his family's death.

The only thing at the time were the reports from early 1983. But as years went on, more and more reports came up. The destruction on Cyberdyne in 1997. Sarah Connor's rantings about the same exact thing he saw in his living room. The bank destruction of 1999 in L.A. Somehow it was all connected. John's mother was involved in every single one of those incidents.

But going through your teenage years, going crazy about a woman and her predictions. It overtook most of his life. Casted him out from making any decent friends. Rendered nothing but a loner. An outcast.

Machines took more than he ever realized.

In anger, Owen slammed his fist into his pillow. He couldn't even begin to describe the fury that was building up in him now. He couldn't stick around any longer. Not with Cameron. From his observations on John, Ellison, Alex, Dale, and Amy, he could see that she wasn't a cold blooded killer like that one who killed his family.

But that didn't change anything.

Owen couldn't trust her anymore. He didn't want to go back to sleeping with one eye open. But if he stuck around with the group, he'd have to not just do it for Walkers, but now Cameron too. What kind of life was that? Living under the same roof as a robot that could slaughter you like cattle at any given moment. Especially when you couldn't do anything to protect yourself?

Owen stood up and threw his clothes on.

On the way out of his tent, he grabbed his traveling bag and grabbed a pocket knife on the way out.

•••

Tomorrow was the day. Tomorrow marked the group's final day on the Greene family farm. Then, it would be time for them to leave. Everyone had spent the entire day, packing up their belongings, and arranging their vehicles for the long haul. There only seemed to be one other place to go. Robins Air Force Base seemed like their best plan of action, ever since Cameron had mentioned it about a week ago. The journey would be long, and it would be hard.

But if surviving taught them anything, it taught them that you need to have faith. It's the only thing someone can truly have these days.

Both Alex and Shane laid together inside her tent. With it being their last day, they decided to make the most of it and spend time with each other. They weren't sure how the road would treat them. They didn't know if they'd catch a break.

Alex was sitting over the cot, looking at an old photo, deep in thought.

"What are you thinking about?" Shane inquired as he sat up from the cot.

"Huh?" Alex broke from her thoughts. She looked to her right and saw Shane now sitting next to her. In a quick attempt, she hid the photo underneath her leg.

"What is that?" Shane then asked, already catching a slight glimpse of the photo. He couldn't exactly make out what it was, and that made his curiosity peak even further.

"It's nothing, really. Just something I found."

Noticing the reluctance she gave him, he knew something was off. It concerned him. "Let me see." Shane demanded in a soft tone. Alex didn't respond and kept facing away. "Alex."

Alex reluctantly took the small photograph from underneath her leg and hesitantly handed it to Shane. He took a long look at the photo, and saw a couple, along with a teenage boy, holding pink balloons, that said _"Baby girl,"_ on it. Shane looked at it confused, not knowing the exact reason why she had such a photo. He wasn't sure if she knew them, so he had to ask.

"Who are they?"

Alex took the photo from his grasp and looked at it once more. " _They_ , are my family." She revealed. "My _actual_ family." She then clarified. For years she had called John and Cameron her family, so she had to be specific.

"What happened to them?" Shane asked. He had a strong feeling that he already knew what happened, but he thought he should be more clear than to just come up with accusations.

"They… I'm not sure. I never talked to them much. We were really distant." Alex explained.

"What about the balloons, then?" Shane then decided on asking.

"That was my mother's announcement on what gender her baby was going to be."

"So, judging by the pink balloons, you were going to have a sister?"

"No." She shook her head. "I was the one they were announcing."

"No offense, but this photo looks relatively new." Shane pointed out in confusion. "How did you keep it in such good condition this long?"

 _Maybe it's because it is new, and I was due to be born in two months. But who knows, maybe I'm dead because me, along with my mother, became a Walker's lunch._ "My mother liked sealing photos in laminate so they'd keep shape longer." Alex settled for saying. She honestly didn't know if her mother laminated it. All she knew was that it was laminated when she had taken it.

"So, you have an older brother?" Shane then asked.

"Yes. He was only sixteen in this picture." Alex explained. "He was very silly, honestly. I miss that about him."

"Well who knows, maybe they are somewhere like we are, and maybe they are safer than us."

"I appreciate your enthusiasm, but if we're being realistic, I don't think they are." Alex sadly smiled. "No one is ever safe."

Shane pulled Alex close, just as some tears began to trail down her face. The two sat there for a long moment, with Shane comforting her, and she relishing in the embrace.

Despite never being safe mostly being true; especially in this world, Alex couldn't help but feel safe in Shane's arms. A sense of security it was. Even if she could probably break them as easy as a toothpick.

•••

Meanwhile in the tent across from Alex's, John and Cameron were sitting in the corner, looking through a photo album. One that they had found in the SUV when cleaning it out, earlier that morning. John was surprised to find the collection of photos that Sarah and Alex had put together over the four years they had spent together. He wasn't even sure how she got most of them either.

"Hey, I remember this one." John chuckled as he pointed at one photo. It was one of Alex and John throwing birthday cake into Cameron's face.

"That was my first built day." Cameron agreed. "Although not my favorite one."

"You were so mad that we did that." John laughed even harder.

"Yes." Cameron agreed in a stoic tone. "You wasted perfectly good cake." She then added with a faint smirk before it had immediately disappeared.

John noticed this and closed the photo album. "What was that?"

"What was what?" Cameron inquired.

"Ahh, don't get sneaky with me!" John couldn't help but chuckled. "I saw that smirk on your face."

"What smirk?" Cameron asked with a blank tone, and the tilt of her head. Even with how long she displayed this, she eventually gave, and the corners of her lips lifted upwards.

"Ah ha!" John pointed at her. "I knew I saw it!"

"I thought I fooled you." Cameron brought her lips to a full on smile.

John leaned back and rested his head on the pillow behind him, and he took a single heavy breath. "I missed stuff like this. It's been too long since we were able to just feel normal."

"We're not normal." Cameron replied. She too layer back, and put her head on John's chest.

"Yeah… I know." John sighed heavily. "The world has changed a lot hasn't it?"

"Yes." Cameron agreed.

"Imagine how mad mom would've been if she found us like this." John chuckled. Never in a million years did he think that he would he cuddling with a machine. Never in a million years did he think that Cameron would mean something to him.

"She would be pissed." Cameron admitted.

"Yeah…" John trailed off. "She would..."

Cameron lifted her head from John's chest and looked into his eyes. "Why are you stressed?" Before John was able to say anything, Cameron had already spoke again. "I can sense what your feeling. Remember?"

"Right." John acknowledged. "Let's just say that… I really don't want to leave this farm."

"You don't like what is out there." Cameron pointed out.

"Yes." John agreed.

"You resent the creatures that killed Sarah. They took your mother away." Cameron explained.

"I never thought that in a million years, the world would become what it is now."

"Even if the world is unrecognizable, you have to believe that it can get better. With no Skynet threatening us, we can actually have a chance."

John looked down at Cameron." A chance for what?"

"Never mind." Cameron stubbornly replied and looked away.

But John wouldn't have none of this. He needed to confront her on the matter. "Cameron…" He pressed. "You know you can tell me anything, right?"

Cameron looked back at John, still feeling the reluctance to speak. She just looked on at John's face, seeing the recent scar that was beginning to form on his cheek. She felt guilty for not being there to help him avoid being hurt. But still, she felt comfort being here with him. He was not in that shed anymore. They were here together. She only felt more comfort when John placed his hand on top of hers. Feeling the warmth, she smirked again, and spoke.

"I was hoping that me and you would…. Become more."

John sat up with with his eyes widened. He speechless. What could he say? What should he say? Cameron was awaiting his reply, as she patiently stared at him. That look she gave him too. He couldn't back away from that innocent looking expression she gave him. It was her way of trying to persuade him.

He always liked her. Had an attraction towards her at least. But it wasn't until the Jeep explosion that he had to come to terms with who she was. Even if she did always act like a machine. Cameron Phillips was a terminator, yes. She was a machine. Not human. But over the course of four years, she has grown so much. More so than he's ever seen a machine.

But he still didn't know what to say. He felt pretty stupid about it too. He knew that talking to Cameron was far different than another girl. She wouldn't laugh at him for saying something dumb. She wouldn't tell at him for denying his feelings. She would completely understand and remain with him no matter what.

"Cameron… I-"

Before John was able to finish, he was cut short when a gunshot, followed by screaming was heard nearby. Both he and Cameron look at each other, before quickly putting on their shoes and running outside to see what the commotion was about.

 _ **5 Minutes Ago:**_

Across from the camp, and all the way to the barn, Owen was seen walking in the moonlight, as he made his way to the small shed. Luckily the moon had lit up everything more or less and he was able to navigate without the required use of a flashlight.

As he neared the shed, he stopped at the door and looked behind him just once before pulling out two small paper clips. He fiddled with the lock for about a minute until he heard a click and the padlock opened. He pulled the lock off of its hinge and quietly entered.

Once inside, he was greeted with darkness. He felt around for the light bulb and pulled a small string that lit the entire room.

Sure enough, Randle was huddled up in his corner, dead asleep, and still bound with duct tape. He gave one slight kick to the kid, and he awoke with a muffled yell. He probably expected Rick, or Shane, or Daryl to be the one waking him up, but upon seeing Owen, his fear subsided.

Owen could immediately tell that Randle had every right to be afraid of them. His face was badly bruised and very bloody. His right eye was so swollen that he wondered if he could even see out of it at the moment.

This wasn't right. Beating a kid because he was with the wrong people.

Owen knelt down slowly and looked at the kid. "I'm gonna remove that tape. When I do, I expect you won't shout, right?" Randle nodded frantically, and Owen slowly removed the duct tape from his mouth. "You look like hell, kid."

"Your people did it to me." Randle gulped. "Are you here to do your share?"

"No." Owen shook his head. "I actually need your help. Your people. You know where they are?"

"Look, I told Rick. I don't know where they are anymore. We move from place to place, trying to get by-" Randle explained.

"Cut the bullshit." Owen sneered. "I know you're all hold up somewhere." He took a deep breath and looked back at Randle. "Look. I'm done with these people. I can't trust them anymore. If I sneak you out of here, will your people take me in?"

"I-I don't know…. Maybe?" Randle stammered. "Why do you want to leave so bad?"

"I don't have to tell you anything, except I don't trust any of them anymore. I just can't stay here. Can _you_ help me?"

"Yeah! Yeah, I can!" Randle agreed.

"Good." Owen smiled in satisfaction. He then pulled out his pocket knife. "Can't exactly escape with those still on, now can we?" Owen cut the tape from Randle's hands and feet, and helped him up. The two then opened the door and slowly made their way outside.

"Okay, so which way?" Owen inquired.

"I don't know where we are yet. Maybe find the road first and I'll be able to get my bearings." Randle explained. One agreed and began to lead him into the brush where they would walk through the forest and find the main highway.

But before they fully made it, Owen stopped dead in his tracks when he heard a gun click. He slowly raised his arms in surrender and slowly turned around. Who he saw surely surprised him.

The last person he'd expect to find holding him at gunpoint.

"Where are you going?" Dale demanded as he raised his rifle at the man.

"Dale... I can explain." Owen tried reasoning.

"Really?" He mused. "What it looks like to me is that you're trying to leave with the boy."

"We all know that he deserves to live. I have to get him away from Rick before he decides to kill him." Too bad it was a lie. He did it to get away from Cameron. It wasn't a matter of Randle's protection.

"As much as I hate to do this." Dale rose his rifle once more. "I can't let you take him."

"Dale. Don't do this." Owen gritted his teeth. "Just let me go and you'll never have to see me or him again."

"I'm sorry, Owen." Dale apologized. He turned his head slightly and began shouting. "Rick!"

At that instant, Owen immediately rushed Dale, and tackled him to the ground. In the struggle, Dales hunting rifle went off, and fired off into the distance. Owen and the old man began fighting for the rifle, with Owen gaining the upper hand.

Owen landed blow after blow onto Dales face, until he was barely incapacitated, but still slightly conscious.

"We have to go!" Randle frighteningly muttered. Owen turned his head and saw a stray Walker limp towards him and Dale, with an appetite for flesh.

Owen glanced back at Dale, and grabbed his hunting rifle. "I'm sorry."

He kicked Dale hard in the ribs which caused him to scream out in absolute pain. Owen backed away from the man, just as the Walker had neared them, and fell to its knees, as it began to rip Dale apart, and his screams becoming drowned out in gurgling blood.

Owen grabbed Randle and the two snuck away, as the entire group, who had awoken, ran up to Dale and found him barely clinging to life.

Morales had kicked the Walker off of Dale and beat it to death with a shovel. Everyone paced in distraught, as their friend and even mentor was internally bleeding to death and his guts hanging out. He was in pain. Horrible intolerable pain.

Amy had started to wail into Alex's shoulders, and everyone else just stood there in shock. Hershel, and Maggie had heard the gunshot and ran up to find everyone gathered around a very injured Dale.

"You have to do something, please, you have to!" Amy begged.

"Can we move him!?" Shane asked Hershel pleadingly.

Hershel responded with shaking his head when he examined the wound. "I'm sorry. Moving him will be worse that helpful."

"No!" Amy cried even more, she lost the ability to stand, and she fell to her knees, where Alex was forced to catch her. "He can't suffer anymore."

Rick heeded Amy's request and drew his Python, and took aim at the man. But for some odd reason, he couldn't pull the trigger. What was stopping him? He put an end to Savannah's suffering, so what was so different? Was it the fact that he was still alive? Or was it the fact that he didn't want to someone who actually cared about the well being of this group? Someone who cared for every individual no matter what they did.

"I'll do it." Amy announced. "He took care of me and Andrea before all of this." Rick didn't object to Amy taking the Python away from his grasp, and he even backed away. Some people had to make the tough calls. Amy knelt down in front of Dale, and kissed his forehead, which caused both of them to shed tears. "I'm sorry." Amy took a deep breath and pulled the trigger.

Cameron didn't flinch like everyone else when the bullet had echoed throughout the night. Instead, she was lost within her own mind, studying the scene silently, as she began to put together every piece of the puzzle.

 _There was a struggle. Dale lost. But with whom? His rifle is missing and he appears to have red welts on his face._

Cameron observed further as she found faint footsteps that led away from Dale. They were particularly fresh, aside from the wind covering them up with dead grass.

She backed away from the entire group and began to follow the tracks, until they led her into the brush of the Georgian forest. Two sets could now clearly be seen. Were they now compromised? Did someone find them and kill Dale just to take his rifle? It didn't make sense if that was the case.

Cameron glanced behind her, and noticed that a particular someone wasn't present. Everyone who was currently residing on the property was there- from Rick's people, to Hershel's family. But Owen wasn't there.

She then turned her head and saw that the shed was wide open. Rick and Shane probably wouldn't notice it for quite a while until they decide to open their eyes. Their new prisoner was missing.

Someone turned up dead, a rifle turned up missing, and Owen was nowhere to be seen.

Cameron calculated hundreds of probable outcomes that could of occurred. But one only seemed to make sense. Maybe Randle was to blame? It was sort of possible for him to overtake Dale and get the rifle. He could have even taken Owen as a hostage. But the thing was, he was still badly hurt, and he was bound by layers of duct tape. How could have he gotten out? Especially, why would Owen be here and not in his tent? Someone had to have had helped him escape. There only seemed to be one solution to this confusing problem.

It had to have been Owen.

Upon coming to that very conclusion, Cameron's eyes glowed red, and she immediately went into full Terminator mode and disappeared into the forest without a trace.

•••

Cameron has been following Owen. Ever since she picked up his trail, back at the farm, she has not stopped. Not for even one moment. She didn't need to. That's what she was built for. Once a terminator had its mission, they could not be stopped. But what was that mission exactly? Was it even a mission at all? Why was she pursuing Owen?

Simple. She had no mission. Not anymore at least. For the past four years, Cameron has gone without a mission- without a directive.

John became that mission. Even if he was _once_ her mission, she saw to it that it remained her mission. Her undying and loyalty was what made her stick around with John for all of these years.

It was definitely hard to see in the forest. She wondered how well Owen and Randle were doing at the moment. Luckily for her she could just use night vision or thermal to see where she was going.

With no light source it would prove difficult to navigate in the dark, especially with Walkers lurking around. It was only logical to assume that they had started to scour the wilderness, in hunt for something to sink its teeth into.

Fourteen miles. That was how far they were from the farm. It had been three hours, fifty-seven minutes, and eleven seconds since she had started pursuing them.

Now they were in some unknown area. Although she hadn't seen them, she was hot on their trail, using her tracking abilities to tail their every move.

She originally thought they would've had to stop at a certain point. She thought they'd get winded and need to take a short break. Then she could've caught up to them and killed them. Either that or bring them back to the Greene Farm.

Using her tracking skills, their footprints had led her to this spot. One where dirt, and leaves had broke into simple concrete and asphalt.

Cameron looked up from the ground and saw something that instantly caught her eye. A large wall, that was made up of scrap metal, and large utility vehicles such as school busses and old ambulances.

A single light was shining brightly, left and right. And lastly, a man could be seen holding an assault rifle, while walking back and forth on top of the man made wall.

Cameron immediately took cover behind an abandoned car, just as the spotlight had shined on her location. When it disappeared, she emerged from cover and took another step forward.

 _Randle must have found his way back home. This isn't good. I should kill everyone here._

As Cameron neared closer and closer to the wall, she was forced to take cover once more, behind a concrete roadblock, when a large shipping truck had drove up. She slightly peered over and observed as the large doors had opened, giving the Shipping truck access.

When the truck drove through, and the large door closed, Cameron stood up, and began moving against the wall, careful not to make too much noise. She needed a way inside. She needed to be sure that Owen and Randle were here.

While she moved across the wall, looking for an entry point, she occasionally saw Walkers close in on her position, but were immediately taken out by the guard above.

She had to admit. At least the guard was useful at doing his job.

Cameron continued to let the wall guide her, as she looked for any weakness, any entry point into the community. Since far it was up to standards in terms of keeping Walkers out. She was beginning to think that she'd have to make her own way through. But that was the thing. If she had to make her own way inside, that would've most definitely alerted every guard- every soldier to her location.

She hoped that wouldn't be an option.

After much shifting against the wall, Cameron finally found it. A weakness. A loose piece of sheet metal was hanging on a single screw.

First, peered through the opening, making sure that nobody was on the other side, and that nobody could see her. As far as she knew, it was clear. The entrance appeared to be behind one of the buildings, which provided her with the strong element of surprise under her sleeve. She would purposely leave it open upon leaving too, just so the Walkers could take care of any remaining survivors that she didn't get to kill.

A very savagery way of finishing the job, but still finishing it nonetheless.

Cameron took the sheet paneling from the wall, and ripped it off with ease, before throwing it to the side. She climbed through the small opening, and ran to cover behind the structure.

Right next to her was a back door that seemed to lead into the building. She first checked to see if it was open, but found it locked. With no knowledge of anyone being on the other side, she decided to avoid it, and started making her way through the back, using the alleyway darkness as her cover when soldiers walked by.

Cameron kept silently moving through the darkness, occasionally having to take cover and remain quiet when someone came within distance. None expected her.

Cameron came into an alleyway, where she had a perfect view of a large building across the way, that had column pillars. It seemed to used to be the town hall by the looks of it. Either that or it was just a historical building that wasn't demolished. Then the unexpected happened. The front door to the town hall opened, and four men walked out.

That was when she saw him. Owen

He and Randle were talking to what appeared to be the leader of this group, this community. His posture and level of voice displayed confidence. The last man was huge, and appeared to be either another guard, or a bodyguard.

But Cameron didn't care about that. All she cared about, was Owen. She needed to kill him, and everyone else here. No one mustn't get to John.

Cameron observed further as the leader had led them to the far end of the community, and walked into one of the many buildings. That was her new objective. Get inside, find Owen and Randle, and terminate them. Very simple.

Cameron moved along the alleyways once more, as she made her way closer and closer to the building. But she came to a standstill when she had ran out of alleyways. She needed to get across, the the area was too lit up. Small fire barrels were night time light sources, and the moon wasn't helping either.

She needed a plan. A good one. Cameron limped up to a soldier passing by, with tears falling down her cheeks.

"Help me, please!" She wailed.

The soldier diverted from his path upon seeing Cameron, and ran up to her with concern. "What happened, Miss?"

"There is a Roamer in the Alley!" She whimpered. The man looked up and started slowly creeping up to the alleyway. But there was nothing. If there were a Roamer, it wouldn't have hid. It would have most certainly tried to lash out at him and take a bite from his flesh.

"What the f-"

Cameron grabbed both sides of the man's head, and twisted it, causing his head to snap, and he fell to the ground, dead.

Cameron grabbed the man's rifle and checked to see if it was loaded, and slung it around her shoulders. With that guard out of the way, Cameron hid his body behind a trash can, and started to sift through it. After much searching, she was able to scavenge an empty water bottle, and an old dirty towel; along with a piece of rope.

She used the old towel, and wrapped it around the barrel of the gun, where she tied the rope around it, making sure it was adjusted tightly. She tested it on the dead guard before hand and shot a single bullet into his chest. Sure enough, it was muffled enough to not arouse much attention.

With her as ready as she'll ever be, Cameron made a quick dash across the field, where she shot the first guard in the forehead, and the second one behind her in the chest three times.

As she made it to the building, she used her thermal scans to see if anyone was on the other side. Luckily there was no signs of heat. The only heat signatures were located upstairs.

Cameron forced open the locked door, with the door hinges breaking. She entered inside and immediately began to climb the stairs, making sure to keep quiet. Once she was on the first floor, she opened the door and peeked inside.

None were Owen or Randle. They were just people sleeping. Although not in a safe way. Leaving the doors unlocked could prove very dangerous in this world. Not that Walkers couldn't open doors or anything. At least as far as she knew, they couldn't.

After searching the first floor, she went up to the second. Inside the rooms, she wasn't surprised to find that they too were not locked. The first one she came up to, she opened the door.

Upon turning the knob she saw that the light was on. When she opened in further, she saw both Randle and Owen standing right in front of her, with their eyes widened.

Cameron stoically closed the door behind her, and started stalking towards the two with a predatory posture.

But Cameron was confused to find out that Owen was... smiling? Why was he? Almost as if he were awaiting her arrival.

Cameron heard the wooden floorboards creak, and she quickly jolted around to find three other guys standing behind her.

Before she could react, she felt a jolt of electricity course through her entire body, and her whole world went black.


	10. Chapter 10: No Fate

**The Walking Dead: Termination Season 2**

 **Chapter 10: No Fate**

 ** _Los Angeles, California, May 4, 2011: (Connor Household)_**

Cameron stood outside, in the backyard of the Connor safehouse. The one that they came to know over the years. It just wasn't their safehouse, it was their home. All of their experiences, their happy moments, and even their sad moments, happened in this very house. But now it was merely just rendered a hideout. After what happened, homes weren't even considered places of safety and isolation. Now it was about survival. There was no homes. There wasn't a safe place anymore. When the government fell, so did law. When the military fell, so did order. A world gone mad it has become truly.

It had been only almost a month since the broadcasts had stopped. The government stopped issuing out warnings for those trying to get out of, or enter the city. Now it was quiet. Nothing but a desolate ruin of what was once filled with life, was now a place for the dead.

It had been a few weeks since Sarah's death. Cameron knew John wasn't taking it well. For years it had just been him and his mother together. Surviving. She taught him everything he knew. How to be smart and avoid authorities and any terminators sent back in time to kill him. He was depressed At the fact of knowing that his mother died alone. Killed by those things. She died doing what she knew she'd always do. Go down fighting. And that is what she did.

One thing made sense to Cameron. They stopped Skynet. But at what cost exactly? Just more death at a rate that made every victim to the plague suffer? At least nuclear weapons would have provided most of the population with a quick, and painless death. Not by being eaten alive by whatever those things were. She started to wonder what would have happened if they didn't stop Skynet from becoming operational. Would this plague still occur? Or was this just the second stage after stopping the rouge artificial intelligence? Something that was meant to happen if not for the intrusion of Judgement Day. It was a possibility, but not a fact. Only a theory. The dead rising was an unexpected outcome of J-Day being averted. There was no way of knowing since this was their first success.

These dead people- these Roamers that she was thinking of calling them. They were no longer human. Only what remained of who they once were, was a decaying sack of bone and meat that had a hunger for the living. She didn't have to be human to understand that they weren't, themselves, human. It was common sense, really. No plague in history was at a scale such as this one. Not one as deadly, that is. The only one that came remotely close, was the black death that happened centuries ago. But it didn't bring the deceased back to life.

But alas, Cameron stood behind the fence line, still as a statue, hearing every bit of noise that was in the area. She could hear the dead lurking about. Some bumping into overturned trash cans, or just shuffling along the streets with no clear destination in mind. One thing was certain though. The moans could definitely be heard. Not just by her, but anyone within earshot.

She didn't have to worry much though. The safe house doors were secure. Even before everything went down, Sarah Connor had custom doors made with reinforced steel in the wood to ensure that an attacking machine would have at least a little bit of difficulty getting in. But now they had another use.

John peered out of the back door, seeing Cameron standing in the middle of the backyard. It reminded him of something similar she did a few years ago, when she said something about the house moving downwards or something like that. But he was feeling that this wasn't what she was doing this time.

"What are you doing?" John curiously inquired.

Cameron turned her head, already having an answer. "I'm assessing the danger in the area, and I'm trying to listen for anymore signs of military presence in the city."

John crossed his arms. "You do know the city has been abandoned, as well as the military being overrun, right?"

"We don't know that."

" _Yes_ we do, Cam!" John hissed. "Have you been paying attention to what has been going on out there!? Just a few days ago, the city was bombed by the military! We were lucky enough not to be in the danger zone at the time or else both _me_ and _you_ would've had died!"

"There is a high probability that the military could've targeted our neighborhood. But with most of the surrounding blocks already being burnt down during the initial outbreak, we were safe." Cameron explained calmly.

"How unfortunate for us." John breathed heavily. He took a seat on the backyard swing set, and began kicking back and forth, while Cameron watched curiously.

"Why do you say that?"

John looked up at his cyborg protector, whom was looking down at him. "What do you mean?"

"You say it's unfortunate for us." She repeated his statement. "Why do you say that?"

John took a deep breath. He almost forgot that she didn't understand some things. Like the dead eating people he was originally supposed to protect in the coming years, or the fact that the world has become something far foreign than that of the ruins of Judgement Day that he envisioned. "It's only a matter of time, you know."

"Only a matter of time before what?" She asked again.

John almost forgot that he wasn't talking to a human. Cameron was much more difficult. He had to speak to her in a certain way so that she could understand more clearly. "Only a matter of time before…. Before I get killed by those things."

To his surprise, her eyes had widened upon stating that fact. She really seemed to feel discomfort in thinking of John as one of them. A mindless walking corpse that had only one agenda. Kill.

"I won't let that happen." Cameron stated with determination.

"I don't think you can control what happens to me. Not like this, anyway." John shook his head. As much as he wanted to believe… he honestly couldn't. Death is far too common now. It was everywhere. Even if John had seen his share of it way before all of this went down, it pales in comparison to now. In the present. No Skynet, no terminators that would be sent back in time to kill him. No Resistance to build and rise up to fight the machine threat he was trained to stop. It was all for nothing. He got no childhood like the rest of the kids his age. He was drilled by his mother to fight a threat that no longer existed.

"I have been protecting you for the past four years. This won't stop me," She stubbornly replied.

"Well, Cameron. You have to understand that nowadays, death has become more frequent!" John sneered. "Remember our neighbor, Kacey? Remember what we found in her house?"

"She was one of them-"

Before she could finish her answer, John cut her off. "Do you remember what happened to mom?"

"She sacrificed herself to save you-"

She was interrupted by John once more before she could finish answering. "And I am Damn sure that Alex may be dead too, considering she had to leave for _Washington DC_ just a few days before shit hit the fan!"

"John… please be quiet." Cameron requested. His shouting had begun to draw some Walkers to the outside fence. She could see the hands and moans just over the wooden structure.

"When we stopped Skynet, I thought we could finally have a normal life. I thought that we wouldn't have to deal with the world on our shoulders again…. I just wish that it could all stop..."

Cameron could see the tears that began falling down his cheek. She immediately analyzed him, and found his stress levels off the charts. The burden he carried since he could remember, was folding into this new problem. A life that no longer was of concern. Comforting was what he needed. But without Sarah, she had to do it. Take the task into her hands. She placed her hand on John's shoulder, and rubbed slightly.

She only stopped when John looked up at her with an angry and confused look.

"I'm sorry." She apologized, and put her hand back to her side, and looked down pathetically. "I don't know how to reassure you."

"Don't be." John wiped his tear away. She has been more honest these last couple of years. He felt guilty for snapping at her like the way he just did. He knew that she was trying to see a positive side to all of this. She wanted him safe at all costs. But she couldn't ignore the truth. If anyone can die this easily, then so can he. His destiny was to fight the machines, not whatever these things were- this new threat. The new goal was to stay alive as long as you could. Because if his mother's passing taught him anything, it was to live everyday as if it were your last. No matter what you did to survive. No matter what you accomplished to live. It would only be a matter of time before time was up, and you breathed your last breath.

John too noticed the Walkers that heard his sorrows. It wouldn't be a wise decision to stay here, when it was possible for more to surround and quite possibly break the fence down. "We should probably get inside." He suggested and stood up.

"Yes." Cameron agreed. "It would be wise to." As they made their way back into the house, Cameron closed the door, and made sure it was locked. "I'm going to go terminate the threat outside. When I return I will make you something to eat." John smiled and nodded. Cameron returned the smirk, and turned to leave through the front door.

 ** _Georgia, July 6, 2011: (Present)_**

 **:SCANNING…**

 **:VIDEO PLAYBACK COMPLETED**

 **:SCANNING...**

 **:REBOOTING ALL SYSTEMS…**

 **:SCANNING…**

 **:CHIP INTEGRITY: 97%**

 **:ENDOSKELETON INTEGRITY: 92%**

 **:ALL SYSTEMS: ONLINE**

Cameron opened her eyes after doing a systems check, and looked around. But there was a problem. Her vision was compromised, as bright spotlights had shone directly at her. She couldn't see anything. She could hear chanting from all angles, and the sounds of Walkers not too far away.

What she could see however, was the dirt at her feet, and the large concrete barriers that boxed her in. It was a wide area. Wide enough for a few dozen people to fit in. She couldn't remember how she got here. The last thing that she remembered happening was looking directly at Owen before she was forced into standby mode. One thing ran through her mind as she frantically looked around. Why did Owen smile at her? Why did those men use tasers on her as if they didn't know exactly what she was?

They couldn't have known she was a machine. Could they?

Either way she was caught, and she was in some unknown location. Cameron felt the back of her head, and sure enough there was a fresh incision near her chip port. Someone had taken it out, or rather attempted to take it out. If she wanted to, she could have easily unfolded the skin flap. But she didn't want to. She pressed it down firmly, to make sure it would stay stuck in place, and so that it would close up within a few days.

The chanting grew louder and louder, as Cameron began to sense that hundreds of people surrounded her. But not in a threatening way. They were far from her position.

After a short moment, Cameron's vision adjusted to the bright rays of light, and she more or less had a better view at what beheld her. People did in fact surround her, but they were in bleachers. They were acting like people who were watching a sporting event, waiting for their team to win.

One man walked up to the middle of the pit, with a microphone in his hand. By what Cameron could tell, he was tall, and wore a blue button up shirt with a black vest. His hair was dark brown and was slicked back. He had a certain charm to him. Like he was very influential. He began his announcement, and spoke through the microphone.

"How's everyone doing tonight!?" The speaker shouted. The crowd cheered loudly in response. "It's late, I know, but I have arranged us a very special treat tonight. One that I'm sure you all will love!" The crowd cheered again.

The speaker looked at Cameron who was standing again few feet away, with a defensive posture, and winked at her. Cameron shuttered mentally. This man gave off a weird, uncomfortable feeling in her. One that didn't sit easy.

"Now, I know you don't want to hear me talk all night so I will be brief." The speaker explained in a very cheery manner. "I just want you to take a look at this beautiful teenage girl right next to me, and admire her for a moment."

The crowd did so, and looked at Cameron from head to toe. Most men found her very attractive, considering most teenage girls these days had skin hanging from their faces, as well as a craving for human flesh. Some of the woman seemed to admire her beauty as well, but not to the same degree as the men.

"Good." The speaker said in satisfaction. "Now let me tell you all something. That beauty you all see right here…." He too looked at Cameron with a smirk. "Is a lie."

The crowd looked at the speaker in confusion.

"Now I understand. _What am I talking about?_ Well let me tell you. Imagine a being that can look like us, and act like us. Except, it isn't one of us. Imagine that under this pretty face, is metal. Imagine a being that has the capability to kill every single one of us without so much as breaking a sweat! This pretty thing isn't human, but a machine!"

The crowd started conversing amongst one another, as the sounds of murmurs filled the stands. Cameron looked at this man in shock. She was very confused right now. This person, whom she does not know, somehow knew what she is. "Why are doing this?" Cameron inquired.

"To show the people that we won't accept a machine race to rise over our fall." The speaker simply informed Cameron. He turned his attention back to the crowd, and spoke again. "Now. You'll see for yourself what she is! You'll see that it is them who are causing our extinction! Machines will not rise over us! What machines compensate in knowledge and strength, we make up for determination, and hope!"

The crowd cheered loudly to the man's speech. In a sense those words were as similar to future John's. This man treats her as if machines are everywhere and are planning on wiping humans out. This world is another version of Judgement Day. She needed to get out of here.

Terminating would be the best course of action. But that came with risks. Guards surrounded the pit, holding heavy assault rifles. There was only a 26 percent chance that she'd escape without being badly damaged. Even then, she would probably be killed. High caliber rounds that those weapons held, only held a 55 percent chance of damaging her endoskeleton. Enough for even Cameron.

"Unleash the biters," He ordered. With that, The speaker left the arena leaving Cameron in the middle. Cages from all around her opened and Walkers piled out. They began to stumble closer and closer to her, as they had immediately targeted her.

Cameron backed up against the wall, as she began to asses the situation, and to begin forming a plan. Suddenly, a small object fell on the ground. Cameron saw it to be a 620 Flobert Revolver. She looked up and saw Owen standing near the edge, with a devilish grin on his face.

"I gave you one bullet if you think you can't deal with a few Walkers. Use it wisely."

Cameron wanted to pull him in with her, calculating that it would prove to be a great distraction, and would increase her chances of survival by at least 10 percent. She betrayed not only her, but everyone else. He needed to be terminated. Owen Jay Walker was a threat to John.

Before she could do anything, a Walker grabbed her by the shoulders, and tackled her to the ground. She was easily able to fight off the Walker, and threw it off her. But she kept staring up at Owen, who was staring back at her. He watched with intensity, as he was expecting this to play out well.

Cameron stood up, and focused her attention on the Walkers that surrounded her, and closing in for the kill. She grabbed the first, and closest Walker by the arm, and swung it around, making it crash into the others. But there wasn't just a few of them. There were at least sixteen from what she counted.

She began to get backed up against the wall, yet again, as more and more came. She wasn't tired or anything. Far from it. She never got tired. But there was just too many of them. The almost seemingly, countless minutes of fighting had rendered her clothes torn and stretched by the Walkers. The battle had left scratches on her face and arms that made the crowd react in surprise. The speaker was right about her being not human. She was indeed a machine. The glimmering metal proved that.

 _I need to find an escape route,_ Cameron thought to herself. She calculated many possible exits, but all seemed to end in her either falling back into the pit, or her getting gunned down by guards. Those guns would have a negative impact on her, and she would probably get disabled if their aim was as well as she predicted.

Cameron continued to use her bare fists to fight off the Walkers, and use their limbs as weapons for the time being. The bones made great Spears until she lost them, and had to find another alternative.

After much fending, most of the Walkers were either dead, or disabled enough for them to stop pursuing her. Now she was down to only seven left. But now, the wounds that the dead inflicted were worse. Way worse.

One had torn her cheek, revealing her teeth, and metal jaw. Her hair was disheveled, and pulled. Her clothes ripped beyond imagination. The crowd cheered louder and louder as the fight ensued. Then suddenly another cage opened, with five more Walkers pouring out, adding to the chore list that Cameron currently had to attend to.

Cameron knew what this was. It wasn't an execution like she was led to believe. It was a gladiatorial fight to the death. She was to keep fighting these things until she gave. What she once thought as an easy fight, now proved difficult. Numbers began to overwhelm her. More and more damage came to her skin, and her endoskeleton. It was beginning to become too much for her to take. She wouldn't last any longer at this rate.

Cameron frantically looked everywhere once more, still trying to find an exit strategy. But it was useless. Every guard still watched her like hawks, not daring to let her find a weakness.

But then she saw a slight glimmer on the ground. It was the revolver that Owen dropped. But it was more or less useless. One bullet wouldn't kill twelve Walkers. Even calculating the trajectory, force of the bullet, and the stopping force of the penetration of each of Walker's skulls. It wouldn't make it past the second one at best.

She calculated a 2 percent survival rate from that one bullet. And if it turned out that there wasn't one in there, than that 2 percent would be hopeless. But what other choice did she have? Cameron ran for the gun, and dove for it. She picked it up, and quickly got back into her feet. She took aim at the closest Walker, and pulled the trigger. But nothing happened. The gun didn't go off. She opened the cylinder only to find that dirt had obstructed the hammer from sparking the ignition cap.

Owen did keep his word, but he didn't care for the continuing functionality of the firearm.

"Shit!" Cameron cursed. She looked up and saw the Walkers two feet away from her. For some reason, her stomach felt like it was tied tight. Her breathing became labored, as if she had ran a marathon without stopping. Her chest was rising and falling very quickly. Panic began to take hold inside her.

The most unlikely of actions she considered ever doing was throwing the weapon at the Walkers, and making a run for the far end of the pit, where there was a large closed door. She began bashing on it repeatedly, causing dents to take form.

"Please let me out!" She begged hastily.

The crowds cheers turned from joyment to confusion once again. This machine that fought off a dozen Walkers with her bare fists became fearful and wanted out. If it weren't for the fact that they could see what was underneath her skin, they would have wanted to help her.

"Please! I'm begging you!" Cameron wailed. Tears began to rolled down what remained of her face, as she looked up at the guards that had their firearms aimed at her. "Please let me out! I give up!"

The piercing cry caused everyone, including the guards, to flinch. Her pleading made everyone feel empathy for her. But they didn't know what to do.

Cameron felt a hand on her shoulder, and teeth sink into her neck. She was pulled back, and she fell to the ground. Every Walker piled on top of her as she screamed in misery.

The entire crowd looked at the scene in horror as it became silent. Owen looked on as every Walker was heard munching on her. Guilt overcame him just then.

Was it wrong to do that? She was doing just fine until she attempted to use the gun he gave her. As almost the reality had hit her, and that machine part of her disappeared, only to be replaced by the teenage girl he met back in Alabama. She seemed almost too innocent.

No. It was a trick. It had to be. If they stopped, she would have killed them all. Owens face turned from what was guilt and grief; suddenly turned into a smirk. His family wasn't avenged. Far from it. But it felt good to kill one of its kind. Maybe one day he would find that machine, and he would see to it that it was scrapped.

 ** _Georgia, July 7, 2011: (Greene Farm)_**

Back at the farm, the sun had just risen a few hours ago, and everyone was packing everything into their vehicles. It was time to leave the land that many have taken a liking to over the past few weeks. What lies ahead after this? Where would they go next? Would they find another haven? Would they all die a few days from now by another passing herd? Only time would tell. Right now, focusing on living right now was how everything worked. If you didn't enjoy life while you had it, then what was the point?

Earlier Rick had given Dale a proper funeral for what happened the previous night. His death hit everyone. Amy more so than others. She refused to speak with anyone. Surprisingly to everyone, it was Alex who was in her tent all night, comforting Amy.

But that was all over. There was no use in grieving forever. Especially when they all had to go back to focusing on survival. For Rick, that was focusing on making sure his wife, son, and unborn baby were of utmost importance.

Rick was fastening the suitcases on top of Carols Jeep Grand Cherokee, making sure that the luggage would get lost during their upcoming journey. It was over a hundred degrees outside, and he was sweating quite a bit. But that was the last thing he was focused on. Hershel wanted them gone, and he was respecting that wish. Even if he was considering shooting the man sometimes.

"Dad, will we be okay?" Carl asked, watching his father space out.

Rick shook his head and smiled. "Of course we will. We just need to find another place to call home." He assured his son. He too felt his concern for finding a new place to call home. Especially with how dangerous it was out there.

It was silent for a short moment, before Carl spoke again. "Are you sure about me keeping this gun?" He then asked, pointing at the M9 Beretta at his side.

"We had this talk, earlier, Carl." Rick pointed out. Earlier he had a talk with Carl about the importance of protecting himself. He and his mother wouldn't be around forever, he told him. Even after admitting to freeing the Walker that killed Dale, he knew that mistakes would be made. That he'd have to learn from them.

"I know." Carl said sheepishly. "I just still don't know how I feel, I guess."

"Everyone makes mistakes. It's your willingness to correct them and learn from them, that makes you trustworthy." Rick explained.

"What are my two strong men talking about?" Lori chuckled as she walked up to her son and husband.

"Nothing." Carl simply said and strolled off. Lori shook her head, and looked at Rick with concern.

"He was just asking me why I'm letting him carry a gun. That's all." Rick assured. "He's gonna need it out there."

"I know." Lori sadly agreed. Even though she still didn't want her son carrying a firearm, she knew that there was really no choice. They couldn't always protect him. He needed to be able to fend for himself.

"Are you okay?" Rick placed his hand on Lori's shoulder. She gave a simple nod in confirmation. But he knew deep down that this wasn't true. He also didn't need to ask what was wrong. They were beginning their long and dangerous trip, and they had a baby on the way. "I know you're worried, but I need you to stay strong. Especially for Carl. This baby will grow up and they will beat this world."

"I wish I could honestly believe that, Rick."

"At least try and believe it. That's the only hope we have," Rick insisted. He stopped talking when he saw Hershel, and his daughter: Beth, approach them from the corner of his eye. He was the last person he wanted to see right now.

"I see you're all leaving." Hershel pointed with a smirk on his face.

"No thanks to you." Rick replied with venom. It took him every ounce of control to not break what remaining teeth this man still had.

"I thought you were the bigger man, Rick. I expected at least a little gratitude for saving your son, and letting you all stay as long as you did." Hershel responded with annoyance.

"And I would be, if you weren't forcing my family out there like this." Rick persisted calmly.

"Oh, you'll all be fine." Hershel waved off.

Rick clenched his fists in anger. Lori saw this, and placed her hand on his forearm and gave him a disproving shake of her head. He took a deep breath and regained his composure. He looked back at the man.

"You just don't get it, do you? You all are protected from the outside here. You have never seen what it's like out there. All the death and danger that are in every corner. I'm telling you this right now, Hershel. You've killed us. My group, my family. Even me. You just have to give it time."

"Rick, you have family, and I understand that. I really do." Hershel tried reasoning. "You would do anything for them, and that's what I'm doing. Protecting _them_."

"Don't you ever think we're doing the same thing!" Rick snapped. He tried so hard to keep calm, but his emotions were getting the best of him. At this point he was considering Shane's suggestion and forcing the farm from him. They had the manpower and the guns. But it was all him. He didn't want to be that person.

Hershel opened his mouth to speak, only to be cut off by Shane and Daryl running up to him, Lori, and Hershel. They both visibly looked out of breath. Before Rick could ask what was wrong, Shane spoke with worry in his voice.

"Rick. The shed. It's empty."

•••

Meanwhile across the camp, Alex was straightening out the SUV. There was some junk that littered the floor, due to her living in the vehicle prior to the apocalypse. There would probably be more passengers tagging along with her as well, now that John and Cameron were with her. One thing she was extremely grateful for. Having her family back. She never expected Cameron to drive across the whole country just to end up finding each other.

The group was bigger now. But that came with risks. They no longer had a safe haven so it could prove difficult to stay together. But as long as she had John and Cameron, she didn't care.

 _Speak of the devil,_ Alex thought when she saw John dash up to her. His face was full of concern. "Hey, John--"

"Alex, Cameron's missing!" John cut her off.

Alex dropped what she was doing. "What do you mean?"

"Last night after what happened, I thought that maybe she went to search the perimeter. But she didn't come back." John explained. "Have you seen her anywhere?"

"Uhh, no, I haven't actually." She stammered in perplexity. This confused her. Cameron would never just leave like this. She would have eventually returned. But with them leaving in a few hours, and Cameron having knowledge of this, she wouldn't have left for anything.

"We have to find her, Alex. I need your help." John requested. Alex nodded in acceptance. With how much they have been through together, she considered Cameron her non biological, cyborg sister. After all that has happened and how much she has sacrificed. She wasn't about to lose someone close to her.

The two grabbed a rifle, each, from one of the duffle bags, and loaded them. John picked an Mp5; while Alex picked a 20. Gauge shotgun. Alex figured that they'd at least have an hour at most before they all set off. That didn't give them much time, but they took what they could get. They needed to act quick.

As the two were beginning to march away from camp, trying to sneak away from the group, Alex suddenly stopped, and grabbed John's wrist. Before he could ask what why they had suddenly stopped, he saw Rick, Shane, and Daryl prowl up to them. Before he could inquire what was going on, Shane's fist immediately came into contact with John's cheek, causing him to fall onto the ground.

Shane pulled the young leader onto his feet, and stuck his gun into his temple. "Where is he!" He snarled.

"Shane. Let him go!" Alex aimed her weapon at the man. Shane looked at her with surprise.

"Where's who!" John inquired confusingly. His jaw stung badly, and he was sure he could taste blood. But that wasn't what he was focused on at the moment. Right now a very enraged Shane was on the warpath for reasons he didn't know.

"Don't play dumb with me!" Shane hissed. "You let the son of a bitch go!"

Alex aimed her weapon closer at Shane's head, the barrel now touching his head. "Let him go."

Shane looked at Alex in disbelief. He half expected her to he backing him up. But then again, she knew John far longer than he had known her. If it came down to it, she'd probably choose between them and choose John.

"Shane. Don't make me repeat myself--" Right before she could finish, she felt something touch her own head. At the corner of her eye, she saw Daryl Dixon aiming a gun at her. She could feel the cold barrel touch her own head.

"I guess I could ask you the same thing." Daryl quipped, while shoving the small revolver further in her face. "Put the gun down or it'll be a bad day for all of us."

Alex couldn't help but chuckle. A gun that small wouldn't even make a dent into her endoskeleton. "If you wanna hurt yourself, be my guest."

"Okay, everyone calm down!" Rick ordered. He walked up towards the confrontation with Lori, Hershel, Beth, and Maggie following. Glenn, Morales, and Ellison joined the group upon hearing the shouting, curious as to what was going on. They immediately saw the bitter confrontation between everyone.

Everyone hesitantly lowered their weapons, but still kept them drawn as they all glared at one another. "Rick, I told you it was a bad idea to let this little shit free."

"We don't know if it was him." Rick insisted calmly. "We don't accuse until we have evidence."

"Says the one who threw him that shed in the first place." Ellison bluntly pointed out.

"Do you wanna piece of this, Lebron?" Daryl sneered. "Otherwise I suggest you shut the hell up."

Ellison took a step forward, infuriated with how this redneck treated him. But he was halted by Alex who stepped in between them. "James, I need you to keep a level head." She assured the former agent. Alex then turned her attention back to Rick, Shane, and John. "What happened?" She then inquired confusingly. Shane definitely showed no signs of releasing his grip on John.

"The kid in the shed is missing." Daryl explained. "Me and Shane found it wide open."

"And you're all already blaming John for what, exactly?" Alex inquired. "Because your little prisoner got out? Because you were too damn careless to even check on him?"

Daryl stood within inches of Alex's face. "How about I slap that sarcasm from your pretty little mouth?"

Alex didn't break eye contact, and stared at Daryl intently. "You ever touch me, I will shove every crossbow bolt that you have in that quiver up your--"

"--Look, I don't care what your beef is!" Hershel shouted in annoyance. "I just want to know where this boy is! If he hurts my family, then that's on you."

Rick looked at John, and pushed Shane back. He took a step to look at the young man's eyes, trying to judge him. Eyes were the window to the soul was the saying. Although he didn't consider himself a man of God, he knew that eyes were a good way at reading suspects. Without the use of a polygraph or the time for an actual interrogation, this was the best Rick was going to get.

John's eyes were weren't dilated, nor were they all shifty like he originally assumed. Despite them being a bit glossy from the pain that Shane had inflicted, he was telling the truth. "He doesn't know."

"And how do you expect us to believe that?" Shane sarcastically asked.

"I just do, alright?" Rick insisted in a stern manner. "If you don't trust him, then trust me."

"Owen didn't show up to his post this morning, either." Morales spoke nonchalantly. Everyone looked at the man. This was the first they heard of this, it seemed.

"He's gone?" Rick asked. Morales nodded in acknowledgement. Rick sighed and rubbed his temples. "Dammit, this Randle must've found a way to kidnap him. Does anyone know where they could've gone?"

"Rick…. Cameron is gone too." John reluctantly informed the officer. He didn't want to risk telling him that she was missing. Especially when she was a machine and capable of handling herself out there. But with them preparing to leave, and with what limited time they had, he saw no choice, really. She hasn't returned yet, and he was worried. Rick was the only one who could help find her. "Me and Alex were about to go searching for her."

"You ever consider that your little girlfriend just picked another guy and left with him?" Shane snickered.

"I suggest you shut up." John hissed threateningly. He knew that Cameron would never do that. Especially what he remembered from their conversation, last night.

"Or you'll do what?" Shane inquired as he got into his face, eliminating any personal boundaries between them.

"Shane, I said back off!" Rick sternly glared at the man. Shane looked back at him but obeyed and took a step back from John. "Now, John," He looked at the young leader. "How long has she been missing?"

"Since last night." John immediately explained. "After Dale, I just assumed that she was checking the perimeter for any Walkers."

Rick acknowledged John's statement, and looked at Hershel. "With all do respect, we can't leave without our people. Give us at least a few more hours to find them. Then, we'll be on our way."

Hershel glanced at everyone before nodding once. "If you're going out there, maybe it's best that the ones who aren't, go inside the house. Safer that way."

"Thank you." Rick gave the man a firm handshake. "Alright, we need volunteers-"

"Oh my God…. Guys!" Amy interrupted. Everyone looked at her. "Walker!" Everyone turned their attention out onto the field where they saw a lone figure limping it's way towards them.

Rick took a few steps forward and squinted his eyes, trying to see what exactly was advancing towards him. Glenn immediately rushed into the RV, to retrieve Dale's binoculars. It was a good idea to check while it was far away. It most likely could be a Walker, but after Daryl almost getting shot for the exact same reason, it was best to make sure. Glenn returned with the binoculars in hand, and gave them to Rick.

When Rick put them up to his eyes, what he saw was…

"My God…"

Rick dropped the binoculars, and pulled his Python from his holster, before bolting off towards the figure. Everyone looked at Rick, as he ran off, in confusion. They all followed the man down the field, and ran as fast as they could. Even Hershel and his daughters had followed in curiosity.

John and Alex were ahead of everyone else, as they were running closely behind Rick. John didn't know why he was so contempt with seeing this Walker. A feeling in his gut told him that it was important that he did too, however.

When Rick stopped, they stopped. When John and Alex approached, all they saw was Rick drop his gun, and take a few steps back. His face looked on in horror at what he was looking at.

As he and Alex rounded the man, and they were greeted with who the least expected. The figure that was barely able to stand.

"Cameron?!" John uttered in disbelief. He was glad to find her… but his heart dropped upon looking at her. He expected her to be fine, but that was the exact opposite. Her clothes were torn and bloody, she was missing skin on her face, arms, legs, and stomach area. Her right eye was exposed, flashing a dim red.

"J-John…" Cameron inquired in a metallic voice. She suddenly lost her balance and fell to the ground, and landing on her side. Both John and Alex immediately ran up to her and set her on their laps. Panic took hold as they looked at the young cyborg in shock. Tears began to well up in their eyes as all they could witness was her head

"Cameron! What happened?" John asked with haste.

This was the worst condition he had ever seen her in. Upon looking at her, she appeared to have been attacked by Walkers. Bitemarks, and torn flesh were the main factors in his assumption. But how? She was a terminator. A machine capable of holding great own against the dead- even even other terminators. Her arms were more mangled and appeared to be missing bits of her servo motors.

John and Alex heard gasps from behind. They both jolted their heads, seeing as the entire group was gathered around looking at Cameron with a loss for words. To say the very least, they were beyond surprised. But was that a word that could describe what they were looking at? All of their eyes were widened. Carol and Lori covered their mouths, both speechless. Glenn had began to pace back and forth, and Carl hugged his mother tightly. Maggie had turned both Beth, and Clementine away. Daryl, and Morales just stood there with their mouths wide open; while Shane and Rick looked at each other. Amy and Ellison were the least surprised. James always knew who she was. Even before all of this.

Everyone was stunned. Cameron's huge secret was just revealed, and everyone was sent in a tailspin. But Amy wasn't. So why was she very neutral?

"They're com..." Cameron spat out, right as her red orb went dim, and her body limp. Her good eye stared out into nothingness.

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no, Cameron!" Alex exclaimed. She began to shake her shoulders frantically, but there was no use. They weren't sure what happened.

John felt emptiness just as her head fell back. It felt like a searing pain in his stomach. But there was nothing there. No wound or anything. Nothing. He felt as if he lost something… No he did lose someone. John hugged Cameron closely, and sobbed into her shoulder. "Cameron!" John wailed. "Please wake up!"

•••

 **Author's Note: Probably not the best time to be putting an author's note, I know. This was a very dramatic chapter, indeed. But of it relieves any of you, just know that this isn't the end. I hope you all will somewhat know what that means. Just have faith that something good will turn out from this very sad chapter.**

 **I do have to thank Rexadex72 for his small contribution. He did provide the concept and made a few minor edits while I wrote it all down.**

 **Probably an unrelated topic, but if you are a fan of the CW Flash and Arrow, be sure to check out my crossover between that and Tscc. It's more of a light hearted and comedic story as compared to this one.**

 **Anyway, that's all for now. Be sure to leave a review, and give your input. I gladly appreciate constructive criticism, and just what you enjoyed about the chapter or the entire story in general. Just please no flaming the reviews with pure hatred for the story.**


	11. Chapter 11: Revelations

**The Walking Dead: Termination Season 2**

 **Chapter 11: Revelations**

 ** _Georgia, July 7, 2011: (Greene Farm)_**

Rick didn't know what to think. No, he couldn't even grasp the concept of what has happened. Was everything a lie? Was refusing to be open to anything really a curse? He looked at Cameron who was lying on the bed, with both Hershel and Alex taking a closer look at her body. But that was the thing. It wasn't a she. It was…. It was a machine. Something that came from the realm of science fiction. This beautiful yet, naive girl wasn't human. She was something else entirely. Something he couldn't even begin to understand.

He looked at John who was sitting in the chair across from the bed. This kid who's mother was the one who rambled about these things. But was he prepared to believe this whole destiny thing? This whole machines coming from the future to kill him before he rose to save humanity?

The obvious answer was no. He wasn't prepared. Rick lived by a certain code- he was a man of certain beliefs. He may have not been a man of God, but he started to ask what was she? Who was she?

Shane walked into the room, making sure to close and lock the door behind him. By what Rick could tell, he was very anxious.

Suddenly Shane stomped up towards John, grabbing him by the shirt, and slamming him against the wall. He pulled his 9mm handgun, and shoved it in John's face. "You best tell me what the hell is lying on that bed or I'll put a bullet in you." Shane sneered. John looked at Shane in confusion. He was too focused on Cameron lying on the bed to register what he had said.

"Tell me now!" Shane then spat with anger.

"Shane! Stop this!" Rick shouted.

"Shane, don't!" Alex begged. She opened her mouth to speak again, with attempts to reason with Shane, but was immediately cut off by Hershel's concerned tone.

"Alex, I need more light here!" Hershel ordered. She obeyed the man's request, and shined the desk lamp above the wound that Hershel was looking into.

Rick walked up to Shane and placed his hand on his shoulder. "Listen brother. I am just as concerned and confused about this as you are. But this is not how we handle things. Let's just put the gun down. One way or another we _will_ get answers... I promise you."

Shane looked at Rick for a short moment, and took those words into consideration. He managed to somewhat calm himself, he gazed back at John and slowly put the gun away, not taking his eyes off him. "Damn right we will," Shane said through his teeth.

Shane backed away from John, and walked towards the door, where he and Rick leaned against the wall, and the two observed both Hershel and Alex working on the thing that lay before them.

Hershel was dumbfounded to find that inside Cameron's open stomach, there was hardly anything he understood. Although the organs inside her were very damaged, they weren't completely missing either. But they were structured differently as that of a normal human. She lacked most essentials. Only a stomach and intestines were all that he could see, as well as a small pump located further up. Luckily it was still attached, but seemed to be slightly slit open. She even showed signs of having an incomplete reproductive system, that was more or less intact. But other than that, there wasn't much he could do to save her. It seemed that she didn't rely on these organs to live. "I don't know what to do with your friend here… I have never seen anything like this before."

Shane slammed his fist against the wall in frustration, and rubbed his head vigorously. He began pacing around the room. "Okay, that's it! I need to know what the hell is going on, and I need to know, now!" He angrily exclaimed.

"I will explain everything, Shane. I promise." Alex assured him. "But I need to focus on this right now." Shane reluctantly nodded in acknowledgement, and calmed himself again.

With all issues aside for now, Alex looked down at Cameron's arms and noticed that they were torn open, revealing some of the servo motors to be missing. Torn from their original spots, while some were bent beyond repair.

Alex was very confused. Why was Cameron not active? She should be able to survive injuries to her skin sheath and still survive, considering she didn't actually rely on it. If Cameron wanted to, she could go without it entirely. Although it would be bring back some of those post Judgement Day memories that she'd rather keep in the past.

"Here." Alex handed the light to Hershel.

He took the lamp, unsure what she was doing, as she picked up a scalpel, and tore what remained of Cameron's button shirt open. Alex sighed at the fact that Cameron was still wearing her bra, keeping some form of decency. She began to make an incision underneath her left breast, until it was big enough for her to slip her hand underneath.

"What are you doing?" Hershel asked in horror as he witnessed Alex move her hand underneath Cameron's flesh.

"I'm checking her power cell for any signs of damage." Alex answered. She felt around, underneath her breastplate, and felt around for the nuclear fusion reactor. Once she was able to feel for it, she was relieved to find that it was still cold. Warm or hot to the touch, and everything for hundreds of miles would be flattened. "Well luckily that isn't broken." She muttered.

But it didn't make sense. If the power cell was still in working order, why was she not active right now? She should be still operational and at least talking. But why wasn't she?

Alex's eyes immediately widened. "The chip!"

Shane, Rick, and John stood at the foot of the bed, looking in curiosity as Alex had was about to make an incision on the top of her head, but found it to be already cut. She undid the flap, and used the scalpel to force the port seal open, and pulled out the chip. She looked at it with a frown. "Some bastard tampered with her chip."

John's heart dropped again. But this time it felt as if it had stopped. Cameron was probably dead. Someone got to her and killed her. That chip that embodied everything he loved about her, was probably destroyed. "How bad is it?" John asked with a sniffle, trying to stop himself from showing any emotion.

"I don't know." Alex truthfully admitted. The chip appeared to have a small crack in the middle. She never really held the chip before. She wasn't sure if it was recent. The last time it was removed, it was when John was forced to pull it after she malfunctioned. But there was no way that it could have been damaged that way. The cpu was very fragile, but it wasn't brittle. Only someone that didn't know what they were doing must've done this.

Rick faced John and Alex and looked at them with a stern tone. "I think you better start talking, John. I want to know what she is."

John gave Rick a piercing glare. "My mother was right." He simply told Rick. The last thing he wanted to do was explain everything when Cameron was on her deathbed.

Everyone didn't say another word, and looked at Cameron, deep in thought. Rick felt like an idiot just then. A few weeks ago, he remembered not accepting the possibility of machines existing. Beings that weren't human. Wires instead of veins. A chip instead of a brain. Even with the world being the way it was, this just seemed too impossible. Where the dead were up and eating people, he just couldn't bring himself to believe this…. This girl being a machine.

•••

Meanwhile, in the living room, the rest of the group was gathered, some were sitting, while others were standing. Daryl Dixon paced around the locked door, waiting for an opportunity to get it. He wasn't sure what his plan was, upon entering, but all he knew was that he needed to understand what he saw. That girl… she wasn't human. All he saw was metal. A faint red eye. It wasn't a Walker, that was for damn sure.

"Daryl, will you just calm down?" Morales asked the pacing redneck.

"Or what?" Daryl quipped. "You saw what that was, right?"

"And what is your plan when you get in there?" Morales inquired. "What do you plan on doing?"

Morales had a point, and Daryl didn't have an comeback for that response. He didn't say anything, and backed away from the door, and continued to stare at it with intensity.

"What do you think is taking them so long?" Maggie asked hastily. She wondered why her father was even in there, considering what he said he was going to do. Provide as much help as he could. But to what really? Who- what was lying on that bed wasn't the standard injured person.

"You saw the bad shape Cameron is in. She needs as much help as she can get right now." Glenn mentioned.

"Man, that's just crap!" T-Dog exclaimed in irritation. "That ain't no she, that's a- well. I don't know what that is."

Lori looked away from the bickering group and down at her son, who was quietly sitting next to her. She could tell that Carl was in a state of shock. He didn't even know what he saw. The dead have risen and Cameron was what chewed in the depths of his mind. A girl he didn't even know at all that… well turned out to be… well something else entirely.

"When the time comes, John and Alex will explain everything." Ellison sighed heavily. Despite he and Cameron having a complicated relationship, he truly felt for what the young cyborg was going through. Praying wouldn't help. Even if God was beyond her jurisdiction, he would have attempted. But after Savannah… was he starting to lose faith? After all that's happened in this terrible world, Savannah was too innocent to survive the new rules. She was all things good in the world that came before, and this one didn't allow her to continue on. Now Cameron: a reprogrammed terminator, was probably not one for this new world either. A weapon designed to kill was no match for the dead. Who really inherited the world now. If not humans… if not machines… then who? The dead? As much as the former agent wanted to deny that thought, he couldn't. Hope of the world ever returning back to what it was originally, now seemed like a pipe dream.

The door suddenly opened, and Rick, Shane, Alex, Hershel, and John came walking out in that order. John closed the door behind him, and they all stood in front of the rest of the group, their eyes following on him specifically.

However Rick was the first to speak. He took a step forward and faced the entirety of the people whom he now led. "I know you are all confused… scared… I can't even begin to fathom what is going through your minds… so I'm not going to say anything," Rick looked behind him, at Alex and John. "Instead I am going to let them speak."

Rick, Hershel and Shane stepped away and joined everyone else on the opposite end of the room, and looked at the two, prepared to listen to what they had to say.

Alex was waiting for John to speak, but she wasn't surprised to see that he didn't. She always knew that he cared about Cameron in a way she couldn't understand. With her current state, he was broken. Saddened at the fact that it may be very likely that she won't come back. His despair, his guilt. He wished he could have done something. She would've put herself in those shoes he was prepared to fill if it meant saving Cameron. The machine that became like a little sister to her.

Alex stepped forward, taking the initiative to explain themselves first. "I… I wish I knew where to begin-"

"How about you start by telling us what the hell is that thing?!" Daryl demanded sarcastically.

Alex gave the man a glare, and decided to ignore the attitude he gave. But his question was a valid starter. "Cameron… she is… well she is something else." Alex started. Not so easy it seemed at first. They wouldn't understand what she was about to say. But she decided that it was the best course of action. Whether they understood at all. At least she could say that she didn't hold anything back. No more lying. "In an alternate future, there was an artificial intelligence… it was designed to run the whole United States Military. But the problem was, the AI became too self aware. It took control of everything too quickly. In a great panic the military tried to disable it, but only succeeded in angering it… and scaring it. It decided to retaliate against us and wipe us out with the world's nuclear arsenal. Originally, it did succeed. A few times in fact."

"This doesn't make any sense." Glenn inquired confusingly. "The world isn't some wasteland."

"That's because of us." Alex simply answered. "Me, as well as Cameron are- were from 2027. Our goal was to stop the artificial intelligence from coming online and prevent what everyone called Judgement Day."

"You're talking about time travel." Shane scoffed. "You really expect us to believe that?"

"Do you have any choice? Or would you rather forget what Cameron is?" Alex pointed out. Shane shut his mouth, and continued to listen. "Anyway, machines soon conquered what remained of the world, following the fallout; advancing fairly fast to improve doing one thing it did best: kill us." Alex made sure to put a big empathise on the word: Us. "When we faced inevitable extinction, there was a man that rose up from the ashes. He knew everything that we didn't. He knew what the machines were, their strategies. Most importantly he knew what their weakness was. It was him that began pushing back, rallying every able bodied man, woman and even child that was willing to fight for him. He restored hope into everyone that had either lost it years prior, or was born in a time that it was all in short abundance."

"And who was this messiah?" Lori inquired. Alex knew that she didn't believe any of what she was trying to explain. The truth was the truth, and if they didn't want to accept the reality, then so be it.

"It was me." John spoke up. Everyone's eyes fell on the nineteen year old, with surprise.

"You?" Shane snickered unconvincingly. "Now time travel seems to be more believable than you becoming a leader."

"We are telling you everything." John said in a loud tone. "If you don't want to believe it… fine. Don't. See if I give a shit."

Shane continued to stare at John, but remained silent.

In a fit of anger, Daryl stood up, and stormed out of the house, and slamming the front door on his way out. This was all too much. He hated not being able to understand- to have no control of this whole situation.

"Continue." Rick insisted.

"Because of my role, I was seen as a threat to what was called _Skynet_. They created something called the Time Displacement Device. Upon creating this time travel device, they sought to use it by sending a machine back in time to kill my mother: Sarah Connor. Luckily it failed when I supposedly sent back a man to save her." John explained, purposely leaving out certain details. Even without the threat of Skynet, he saw it best if he didn't give out who his father was.

John and Alex both took turns explaining each event that led to this moment. Everything from the L.A. Police massacre, to the destruction of Cyberdyne, and even the SWAT team that was killed only a few years ago.

The entire room fell silent as everyone let what John and Alex had just said, sink in. It felt impossible to believe any of it. But it was too descriptive to debunk it as just some lie. Especially when the evidence was located in the next room. But that also left one unanswered question.

"And what about the thing in the bedroom?" Rick demanded in a drained tone.

"That _thing_ is a she, and her name is Cameron." John hissed in annoyance. Clearly they were all starting to treat her like how Resistance fighters did. At least he could understand their reasoning. Years of fighting and losing people you cared about was bound to cause mixed feelings towards the things that done it.

But not theirs. It was uncalled for, considering Cameron has done nothing to anybody in this group. Her growth proved that she was more patient, willing to calculate better alternatives to the whole "terminating is the answer" code she normally followed.

"Okay, _she_. What is _she_?" Rick corrected himself. "You say these machines are designed to kill humans. So why is she here, on our side?"

"She is a reprogrammed terminator like the one that was sent back to save him as a kid." Alex answered. "A cybernetic organism, or living tissue over a hyperalloy combat chassis, as she liked calling it."

"And under this hyperalloy thing, is just full metal and wires?" Morales inquired. "A robot that follows orders?"

"She isn't just metal and wires." Alex denied. "She has organs, and occasionally has the need to eat in order to gain needed nutrients for her skin sheath to heal. Her brain is a learning computer. She is- was programmed with infiltrator settings that enabled her to blend in seamlessly, but she had to learn almost everything on her own. Almost like a preschooler learning the alphabet, or learning how to read. Experiences, and communication are what she has used to grow over the years."

"And you mean to tell us that you're both here from the future?" Lori then asked.

"John's future counterpart sent both me and Cameron as support for he and his mother. After the threat was stopped we really had no home left, so we stayed." Alex answered simply. "We became like family, and Cameron is a far cry from the mindless killing machine that I first traveled back with."

"But she is…" Rick muttered. Alex looked at Rick who stood back up, and stared at the two. "You said these machines; these terminators are designed to kill humans. If what you're telling me is true, then it was her who killed Jimmy after all."

"She did…" Alex hesitantly agreed. Hershel, Maggie, and Beth looked at Alex in complete shock. It wasn't just any normal person that did this… it was a terminator. Hershel was furious, but with the given circumstances, being enraged probably wasn't the best display right now. Especially when everyone else seemed to be doing just that. But this thing that he looked at. It was responsible for all of his paranoia against Rick's group. Something that's very nature was to kill. "But it was only because she thought of him as a threat. He was reckless and shot two of our own. I don't blame her for being scared."

"So how do you expect us to even trust her when she killed him?" Shane too stood up. "She killed a kid in cold blood because he only lacked discipline. Accident or not it was still uncalled for, and it sure as hell wasn't necessary. She has blood on her hands, and I don't feel comfortable with that thing."

"Cameron is innocent!" John hissed. "Her mission is to protect me, and Jimmy was a possible threat to that mission."

"What? Because he made a mistake?! He was a good person!" Beth sneered, choking out her words through her tears. "He wasn't trying to put anyone in danger! I'm not saying that what he did was right. But he was trying to protect the group, and nobody deserves to die for that!" Beth fell into Maggie's arms, as her sister comforted her.

The room was silent for short moment. Everyone took into account of what Beth just said. Even John and Alex felt guilt.

"So how do we know she won't attack the rest of us?" T-Dog pointed out.

"As long as you don't bring any direct, or indirect harm to John, you should be safe." Alex reassured. "She even sometimes goes out of her way to help others. For example when Savannah got lost, she provided her skills to help with the search."

The whole room fell silent again, as the whole group had let this whole revelation sink in. They were all still appalled, but after a while the shock in some, turned into that of questioning- of skepticism. This was such a huge secret, and John, nor Alex had no intention of ever mentioning it. But was it really the wrong thing to do? Would they have believed them if John or Alex came out with it before having to see it with their own eyes? They would have all assumed that they were some lunatics.

But keeping this secret from them, had broken that very small circle of trust. Machines were real and they never knew about it. Cameron was one, and they didn't know anything about it. Because of that, someone is dead. Killed by her because she targeted him as an immediate threat that needed to be terminated in order for her own mission to survive.

Rick looked at his wife and son, whom of which didn't display fear, but we're nonetheless stunned to learn of this. Jimmy was killed by Cameron because she thought of him as a threat. He never even laid a finger upon John, and he was dead because of the mistakes he made when he accidentally shot Carl, and Daryl. But they were nothing to this machine. She only ever did this because of John. Carl could've died and she would've not given a single shit about his death.

She only killed because of some cold mindless calculations that John's life was in danger if this person was not killed. T-Dog was right in that assumption. Even if she will help from time to time, to this machine, they were expendable.

"John… Alex… I need to a moment to talk to everyone." He told the two. Alex and John looked at the man and nodded. They turned on their heels, and walked back into the bedroom, where Cameron was located, and closed the door behind them. After watching them leave, Rick turned back around to see everyone looking at him again, waiting for his input on the whole mess.

But this time he didn't know what to say. He was as lost as everyone in the room. Like them, this was the first he learned about this secret war that waged under his nose. When he was going about life, keeping food on the table for his wife and son; John, Alex, and Cameron were in a fight for survival. When the world used to be normal, they were always on their feet trying to live to see the next sunrise.

That was what separated him and his whole group from them. John and Alex weren't ever normal; while he and everyone else, were, for as long as they could remember. Those odds made it hard for Rick to grasp the situation. What he should do.

"What do you think, Rick?" Shane asked as he rubbed his chin in bewilderment.

"I don't know." Rick shrugged. Truthfully he didn't. Something like this wasn't his call. He needed everyone's input in order to even reach a decision. But on what exactly? Kicking them out? Performing an execution? Killing the machine that was already practically dead? He looked at the whole group that stood before him.

Hershel gave him a sad nod and walked into the kitchen, with Clem, Maggie, and Beth following. Now that left the rest of the Atlanta group alone in the living room. Well... all besides James Ellison. Rick had no doubt that he most likely knew of her existence too.

"It's not my choice," Rick calmly began. It was time to actually decide on what was to happen next. "This decision requires all of us. Machines are real… that much is certain. But are we willing to live with her, is the real question."

"Rick, that thing's computer chip is broken, like Alex said." Shane butted in. "What makes you think that this terminator will survive?"

"I'm saying what if she ends up being okay?" Rick clarified in a stern manner. "Then what?"

"Like the little one said," Shane mentioned. "Jim may have made mistakes but he didn't deserve to die. That thing in there made an extreme call, and none of us had a say in it."

"I don't trust her." Lori agreed. "She has the ability to kill any of us if she wanted to."

"I honestly don't know what to think. She's not human. That means she has no soul. Just like the Walkers." Morales too agreed. "As much as I wanna see John's and Alex's side of everything, I can't. Not when this machine already has blood on its hands."

"Same here. Can't trust anything that isn't human." T-Dog also strongly agreed.

"I wanna trust her too, but this is too much." Carol then spoke. "Even if she is on our side, they still kill for unexpected reasons. I don't know if I want to be around something like that."

"This definitely explains the Walker in the RV." Amy muttered. Everyone's attention fell on the young blonde, whom looked at her with surprise.

"You knew?" Lori inquired curiously.

Amy sighed. "Not really. She crushed a Walker's head with her hands, but I just assumed that maybe it was just that easy… considering no one has really had the stones to try themselves."

"I'm guessing you always knew?" Shane then asked Ellison mockingly.

"I was assigned to his mother's case, so yes." Ellison boldy informed. "Abiet I found out the hard way."

"What about you, Glenn?" T-Dog then asked the young man. "You've been quiet so far."

Glenn looked around the room with nervousness at the fact that everyone stared directly at him. "I, umm… I don't really wanna answer."

"Remember what we said about you standing up for yourself?" Rick asked. Glenn did certainly remember that small conversation back in the basement in Atlanta. Although he wished that he didn't have to remind him of it, at this certain moment.

"Okay… I think we should give her a chance?" Glenn reluctantly answered.

"Give her a chance?" Shane repeated, unsure if he heard him right. "You wanna trust something that is putting our lives in danger?"

"She hasn't done anything to us," Glenn argued. Before anyone could interject, he continued. "Yes, she's killed Jimmy, but if you put yourself in her shoes, then maybe you'll see that she only acted because of the possible harm that Jimmy could've brought John. Like Alex said: _She was scared_."

"That is just bullshit, man." Shane angrily exclaimed. He stood up and approached the young man. "The only reason you wanna believe that thing is innocent is because you see her as a pretty girl. Well let me tell you something… it ain't a _she_. It's an _it_."

"Shane, that's enough!" Rick ordered.

"Oh yeah?" Shane turned his head to face Rick, all while keeping close to Glenn. "What about you, Rick? You agree with Glenn here?"

That caught Rick by surprise. He didn't really expect the question to be redirected to him. All he was trying to do was keep the whole group calm. Keep Shane calm. When he didn't have understanding of a certain situation, he was known for being a loose cannon. Everyone's expression now turned into curiosity upon those words coming out of Shane's mouth. They all looked at him, awaiting his answer.

"I don't know." Rick truthfully admitted. He wasn't even sure himself. One side of him wanted to be like the others and fear what she can do to them. But then another side felt like she did deserve a chance. What she did was uncalled for, but is it right to blame her? Fear always overtakes us, and causes us to do things for those we care about. Machine or not.

He may not understand these machines but he's seen it. The time he had at least somewhat got acquainted with Cameron, it was always John for her. Even if it was her mission. She always wanted to be right next to him, she _wanted_ him safe. When he wasn't near, she'd get extremely worried and anxious. If that wasn't emotion- if not feelings… then he didn't know what was.

But what use was it, if this cyborg might not make it? What was left of her body looked beyond repair at this point. Alex said someone tampered with her chip. Coming from a man who had trouble using his office computer back at the police station, he was sure that Cameron was in trouble.

"She acted because she was scared." Rick simply answered. "She did what any of us would've done. If not for our restraint, what was to say one of us wouldn't have done what she did to keep our loved ones alive?" All of the group looked at Rick with neutral expressions, as he gave his side of this whole thing. Some were definitely not satisfied with his answer. But some had taken it into consideration.

It was his opinion after all, but Rick did have a valid point. "This world has changed. Our lives have changed. Who we once were is gone. But that means we shouldn't forget that. Machine or not, this shouldn't change how we look at _her_ , or Alex, or John. They are people, and people stick together. We stick together. Metal or bone; chip or brain, we are all the same. If we never found out about her, then who's to say with enough time, we could have gotten to know her. Become close. Become family like how most of us have been these last few weeks. She deserves another chance. It's the only hope we have left, right? A second chance? We don't get too many of those nowadays."

With all of that said, Rick turned and left through the front door, leaving everyone else in the living room, stunned. Left to their own thoughts as many had begun to reconsider their assumptions.

•••

Both Alex and John resided in the bedroom where all they did was stare at Cameron's mangled up body. They said nothing to one another, and just listened to the shouting in the next room. All of this made them feel as if they got caught with their hand in the cookie jar, and were in trouble for that act. They were waiting for a scolding that was soon to come.

But they didn't care. Only Cameron concerned them.

This was exactly what Alex was scared of. Because of this secret life she's led, if this group ever found out the truth. It would tear them apart. They would never truly understand she and Cameron. If they ever learned about what _she_ really was, then who knows what they would have done. If a terminator was too much, then learning about her being a T-H was definitely out of the question right now.

Alex glanced right next to her and at John who was carefully examining Cameron's chip. She felt bad for him to say the least. Not in a long time had she seen him so broken. He didn't deserve this, and neither did Cameron.

Out of everyone, it was Cameron whom she had seen beating this world they now live in. It was her that she always saw rising above these Walkers and leading John into safety. But what now? With her body in disrepair, her chip damaged, what was to happen now? Bury her? Burn her like all other machines in the past? Try and fix her, only to possibly fail. That was no way to give John's hope away like that. To have hope that Cameron may in fact survive and turn out to be worse than before.

"Do you remember the first time we met?" Alex asked out of the blue.

John looked at Alex with surprise. This was a sudden question. It was the last he expected from her at all. "Why are you asking this?"

"Please answer the question." Alex mildly insisted.

John sighed. It wasn't very relevant, but decided to answer anyway. "Red Valley. I stopped those two guys from picking on you and Cameron. Why do you ask."

"I'm asking you this, because even if you didn't know what me and her were at the time, you were strong."

"I don't understand?" John inquired confusingly.

"I need you to be strong. For _her_." She pointed her head at Cameron. "Because this time… I don't know John… I know you want to fix her… I know you do, and I want her back as much as you do." Tears began to well up in Alex's eyes once again, but this time she didn't hold back. Not this time. "But you might have to be prepared for the inevitable." She quavered.

Alex suddenly wrapped her arms around John, with all emotion beginning to flood out. He could no longer take it, and bursted into tears on her shoulder.

The two silently cried onto each other's shoulder for the next few minutes. John felt as if this was the end. His mother was gone. His uncle… now Cameron. All he had left was Alex. She was the only family he had left. Maybe at this point, he even considered Ellison as his only family.

This heartbreak was just too much for him. All he could do was hold Cameron's chip tightly. The only feeling he felt were the ridges of the chip, and the cylindrical port above that. Memories of he and Cameron came flooding through his mind. Everything from her beautiful smile, to that one morning in the motel room in Oklahoma. That day he tried so desperately hard to forget. Everything terrible happened that day, but it didn't start off that bad. Awakening to Cameron lying on him was the best feeling. Her warmth, and beauty as she would stare at him as he slept. Those pleading brown doe eyes that would await his response to her unusual questions.

Now he would never get to talk to her again, to see that smile in person. It was over.

Alex released the embrace, and wiped her tears away. "I'm so sorry John."

"Never be Alex." John sniffled. "You had nothing to do with this. I don't blame you for anything." How could he blame her? She did nothing wrong. John looked back down at Cameron's chip. Someone was responsible for this. For her being like this. In time, he will find out who did this, and he will make them pay.

One thing definitely repeated in his mind, over and over again: _I love you._ John immediately looked at Alex, with an idea beginning to take form.

"Before we actually… destroy her." Those words were beyond difficult to say. "I think we should at least try."

"You want to try and reactivate her?" Alex inquired, her eyes becoming wide with fear. The last time something like this happened, it didn't work out too well. When reactivating a damaged terminator, there were possible consequences. It was possible that with the damage the chip suffered, Cameron could end up going bad again.

"I know it may be a bad idea. We don't know what will happen. But we have to try." John spoke with determination. "It's the only way to be sure. Please Alex."

Alex took a long moment before responding. The way John looked at her with pleading eyes. She wanted to try as much as him. At least if she were to go bad, she didn't really have the maneuverability to do anything drastic anyway.

Alex reluctantly nodded, giving the go ahead. Both she and John stood up and made their way to the bed, and sat in opposite ends of Cameron. As both prepared to put in Cameron's chip, the door opened, and Rick Grimes walked in, before closing the door behind him. He was surprised to see John hold the chip in his hands. He knew what was going on. What they were attempting to do.

"John, before you do this… I just want to say that not everyone agrees with this. I don't know what they'll do if they find out she is still alive."

John glanced at Alex, before looking back at the former officer with the look of determination written on his face. "Are you going to stop me?"

Rick simply shook his head, "No."

Satisfied with that answer, John looked back at Cameron and gently stroked her bloody and tangled up hair. He undid the previously cut skin flap on Cameron's head. Although the left side of her face was missing, this reminded him of when he first pulled her chip to use on the L.A. prototype traffic system. How peaceful she looked when lying on the bed she never used.

John took one deep breath, and reinserted her chip into the port, and locked it in tight, before pressing her skin back over it. Now all they had to do was wait. John counted the seconds in his head patiently, hoping that she would wake up. He waited for that one good eye to open, and look up at him. At least that is what he hoped.

120 seconds it was, and her eye didn't open. She wasn't rebooting like he hoped. It was what he had feared. He wanted so desperately for it to be some ruse- some dream that he would wake up from. He wanted to just wake up from this nightmare. He wanted to wake up in his room, back at their safehouse in Los Angeles, with Cameron staring at him as usual. Knowing that she was safe and everything was back to normal.

But it wasn't. This was indeed a nightmare for him. One that he would never wake up from. It was his curse. Everyone around him was destined to die for him, by him. The John Connor curse. He was meant to be alone. He was meant to suffer.

Now, even someone who had the ability to protect herself… was gone. His protector and the one whom he loved was gone, and he would never get the chance to tell her how much he cared about her.

"I'm sorry," Rick sincerely apologized. Somehow he felt John's grief. Abiet the ones he loved were still alive at least. Not even someone like Cameron deserved this. Not being able to understand what she was, he understood who she was to John.

John didn't care at this point. In despair, his head fell into Cameron's chest, and he sobbed loudly into it. Nothing held back anymore. He did what she would've wanted. To be strong for her. But now he just couldn't. It was impossible.

Alex and Rick shared a brief gaze. No words were needed to explain his sincere apologies for Cameron. How he treated her when they first met. It was him that wasn't trusting of either of them, and he instantly regretted it. He never really got the chance to talk with Cameron, get to know her for who she was. He only ever really knew her on her awkward personality.

Was this just some elaborate curse? Was he not only destined on saving the world, but also ending up entirely alone? It seemed so. A burden he was forced to carry. His father died for him. His uncle died fighting for him. His mother died protecting him. Those three were in a long list of names that fell victim to _him_. He was supposed to carry that weight- those souls that he had gotten killed, with him for the rest of his life. Now Cameron: the beautiful young terminator that he had gotten so close with, was added to that list. He'd carry her death with him until his own demise.

"Where am I?"

Hearing that ever so familiar voice, John suddenly stopped and looked up. He wanted to cry even more upon seeing who that soft, yet metallic voice came from. He saw Cameron looking down at him. With a hint of confusion coming from her face.

Both Alex and Rick looked on in awe as Cameron was awake. They both let out heavy sighs of relief, both delighted that she was okay.

He just couldn't believe it. She was actually alive! John engulfed Cameron in a tight hug, not wanting to ever let go of her again. To never let her out of his sights again. All that heartbreak washed away and was replaced back into him. Hope in him, was restored.

"Who are you?" She looked at John in complete confusion as to why he was hugging her. Better yet, why she was currently confined to a bed. Her voice didn't sound natural, and her heads up display was flashing red. On her lower torso she was missing flesh. She looked down at her arms and saw that she couldn't move them properly, as well as her legs looked like someone had put them through a meat grinder.

"I-I can't believe you're alive!" John cried out in disbelief, seeming to ignore what she had just said. He was just so joyful that she was alive that he didn't want to say anything at all. He just wanted to relish in her company.

In the moment, Alex had also barely heard what she had asked, and rushed to Cameron, and attempted to engulf both her and John in a tight hug. To her complete surprise however, Cameron had managed to push the two away, and shifted away from the them.

Both John and Alex had slightly backed off and looked at the timid cyborg who looked at them in fear and perplexity.

"What's going on?" Cameron uncomfortably asked. "What happened?"

"W-we don't know." Alex answered instead of John. She too couldn't help but look at Cameron with worry. "You went missing, and showed up back here, a few hours ago, looking like hell."

"Cameron…" John gave her a concerning expression. All hope almost seemed to drain again as she looked at him like she didn't know who he was. Did she forget? "Do you remember anything at all?"

"No..." Was all that she could mutter. Apparently all she knew was that her name was Cameron. That much was certain. That is what they seemed to call her, so she just assumed that was her name. But nothing else beyond that. "I can't remember anything."

"What do you mean, ' _you can't remember anything?'"_ John demanded with puzzlement.

Before Cameron could get the chance to answer John's question, the whole house shook violently, and a deafening explosion was heard coming from outside. Most of the picture frames, in the room, had fallen and shattered onto the floor.

The door suddenly swung open and Shane came rushing in. The expression on his face was that of fear, and worry. This wasn't good. Earlier he was anxious and furious. This was a drastic change to his demeanor.

"What happened?" Alex demanded.

"You need to come out here, now!" Shane told Rick in petrified tone. He noticed that Cameron was awake but didn't have any intention on focusing on her.

Before any of the three could press him with further questions, Shane had turned and ran out of the room. They all looked at each other in confusion. Something was happening. Something bad. Rick and Alex were forced to follow suit, which only left John and Cameron alone in the bed room.

"I will be right back, Cameron." He informed the young cyborg. He didn't want to leave her, but this seemed too important. He needed to see this.

Cameron gave John a look of concern but didn't say anything. He gave her a small, sad smile and left the room, making sure to close the door behind him. He was so confused right now. She couldn't remember anything? He wasn't even sure if she remembered him at this point. She appeared to be scared when he and Alex had tried hugging her. Cameron would've done nothing like that. He wanted to delve further into this whole predicament, but now wasn't the time.

Upon closing the door, he was surprised to see that no-one was in the living room. Instead, he saw that the front door was ajar. He ran through the open door, where he joined the rest of the group who was standing on the porch.

Everyone was looking straight ahead, their eyes widened beyond belief. The whole group looked on in horror.

Immediately, he saw it. He followed every one of their gazes, which led his eyes upon the field, just a few feet from the now smouldering barn. He saw something that he never expected. Military vehicles all parked along, aside each other, with men and women brandishing military grade weaponry. In the middle, was a large humvee, with a mounted 50. Caliber machine gun attached to the roof. Two men were standing in front of large transport trucks, and were carrying what appeared to be M32 MGL grenade launchers.

Those weapons explained the barn being destroyed and currently on fire.

There were over a dozen of them. Enough to just barely outnumber them. Everything about this group screamed military. Their vehicles, their weapons. But not their soldiers. Most of which looked to be civilians. Some were even wearing casual attire, while others wore full standard issue National Guard uniforms and equipment.

The leader got out of the humvee and pulled out a large blare horn from the back seat. He turned it on and spoke into it.

"Hello there!" He greeted. "I think I have something that belongs to you." One of the soldiers opened the humvee passenger door, and pulled out someone they immediately recognized.

The soldier shoved the man to the right of the leader, where he was forced onto his knees. The man was bound and his mouth covered with tape.

Everyone looked on in shock. One of the trucks Rick recognized was back from the bar when those men had attacked them. A white Dodge Ram that had a few bullet holes near the windshield. Ones that he had made with his own gun.

"Owen?" Alex inquired with astonishment.

"Now, you see, this doesn't have to end in bloodshed. With my men killing you all." The leader explained simply. "You turn over the machine that came through here, and we'll give you back your friend here. Just as simple as that."

Rick glanced over at John who was taken aback by this revelation. These men wanted Cameron. They knew what she was. Maybe they did this to her? They had to. That assumption was definitely plausible with how they ended up here. But then again, it could've been an entirely different reason. Maybe these were Randle's men and when he escaped he could have told them of this location. Maybe he captured Owen and used him to find the farm.

Everything was just like Oklahoma, it seemed. People seemed to be a more dangerous enemy than the dead. These men sought to take from them. This had to have been the ones that did it. John's mind was set on them being responsible for everything currently wrong with her. Now they wanted to take her- to do God knows what to her. Maybe take her apart and study her, heal her up and take advantage of her.

No. John wasn't gonna let that happen. After almost thinking that these assholes had killed her, he wasn't about to let them take her again. Not this time. It was time for him to protect her.

"Get the guns." John ordered with a serious demeanor. _It's time to go to war._


End file.
